Chaotic Howling
by WizzKiz
Summary: Earth was a popular planet in the Nine Realms once, before Odin forbade all visitations. But magic always leaves it mark and something has been waiting a millennium for its return.
1. Shields and Secrets

**Author's Note:  
**

This has become a fleshed out fanfic, complete with timeline and copious scribblings that somehow turned into something novel-length. This first chapter is more of a prologue, a taster, which is why it's so short. So, please, enjoy; I hope you have as much fun reading it as I do writing it.

This fic takes place just after the first Avengers movie and whilst having an 'ending', there are already many extra chapters and one-shots, and will be for as long as the films keep getting produced (which is hopefully for a long time!).

* * *

**CHAPTER 1**

**Shields and Secrets  
**

* * *

"We are all books containing thousands of pages and within each of them lies an irreparable truth."

- The Animus

* * *

Aerla couldn't help but smile at the balding man who watched her with his steady expression. She still hadn't seen him lose his cool, and as someone with a low boiling point that liked to share, she considered that quite an accolade.

It wasn't that she was an angry person per se; her emotions just ran a little higher than normal. Okay, perhaps she did have a well of untapped anger, but she hadn't lived a thousand years and not practiced control.

Aerla had waited her entire life for a whisper of movement from the stars, and honestly she was shaking with anticipation. Centuries of waiting on tenterhooks tended to do that to a person, a wait that had begun when she had stumbled into a field of broken heather.

The creature that now shared her eyes was remarkably long-lived, and it could sense a turning point approaching. Aerla fidgeted as fur pushed under her skin, the desire to shift riding her hard. Living without moonlight for the last week had that effect, even if she was in a hotel-with-wings.

Why was she torturing herself inside an amazingly decorated plane that knew far too much about her? Because she needed what it contained to get aboard the next insanely decorated plane that would soon know too much about her.

It wasn't her fault that SHIELD kept its base of operations on a flying spit of land that rarely touched the ground, but she would be damned if its occupants got away from her again.

_For a third time_, she specified with an accustomed bitterness.

At least one of those times was due to her homebody nature; she had been reluctant to leave her sprawling home on a whim. But the other time? That was because of tricksy gods and a group of humans that worked too quickly.

She had tried to get to America before the former had left, had almost gotten herself killed in her desperation. If she hadn't been so disconcerted by the recent discovery of flying suits and affectionately termed 'mutants', she might have seen the signs and been prepared.

So maybe that was her fault too. But SHIELD had to share some of the blame by covering up the rumours of an impossibly heavy hammer- and really, who sends a mythological artefact to New Mexico?- as they kept the whole alien thing under wraps.

Not that she hadn't wondered, but a thousand years of false starts and dead ends managed to wear down a girl's faith. Instead she had waited until she was certain, panic skittering under her skin when the first news bulletins reached Britain and gods graced New York's skyline.

But some fuckers had teamed up and banished the one thing she had waited a damned millennium for. She was sure the stars had laughed as she shrieked her agony at them; upon finding that her prey had disappeared beyond her reach.

She would not make the same mistake again.

That was why she had hunted SHIELD down and was now cooling her heels in their second-most hidden base; waiting for the all-clear from the man who had given her more information in a week, than she had gathered in her entire life.

It was almost humbling.

"You know I could just recommend you?" Phil Coulson's voice was friendly, as it always was.

She waved her hand dismissively at him. "And risk your reputation? Don't worry about it; just point me in the right direction."

He had already given her so much; she refused to forsake his kindness by demanding more, even if it would make her life easier. But when had life ever been easy? It had been long, yes, but never easy.

Phil, who smelt of starlight and bitter energy, had led her straight to the organisation she sought. Aerla believed that luck was a dubious mistress, but she had sent the SHIELD agent directly in her path as he tracked a quarry around New York. For all of his technology, both Earthly and not, he had been stalked by a hunter with a wolf's nose.

He inclined his head in deliberation. "Your transport is ready." His eyes travelled over her as something flickered in their depths before darkening, "You know Fury will want your secrets."

She sighed heavily because the agent wasn't wrong. His director would not be happy when she appeared in his domain, and she did not doubt that her trespass would be accompanied by a lot of pain, unfortunately hers. Aela could only hope that her offer would eventually appease the man.

If Nick Fury needed to rough her up and analyse her blood to assure himself that she would be an asset to his team, she had merely accomplished the next leg of her journey. In her defence, she had not spent the last few days with Phil for nothing. If she could remain insignificant around his needle-wielding crew, she could grit her teeth through everything else.

She had survived worse.

"He can try."

Phil merely blinked at her for a moment. "Why did you come to me?"

"You're the most approachable," she flashed her teeth wryly and added, "And the least likely to kill me."

"Because I don't have super powers?"

She took a moment to eye the countless weapons along his office wall and wrinkle her nose at the lingering smell of alien technology. "Hardly. No, I chose you because you have a heart, and I cannot say the same for your superiors." Because I latched onto you like a lost pup in a storm, and you gave me everything I wanted, she amended silently.

Phil spoke through her thoughts. "Then why don't you stay?"

Aerla tilted her head at him, trying vainly to hide the affectionate smile that rose to her lips. He had been nice to her, nicer than he had to be to a woman that appeared in his office with naught but secret knowledge and another form to her name. Admittedly with hindsight, it had been a stupid idea to approach him so. However she hadn't tailed the man for a day and not expected to come nose-to-nose with a gun before she could open her mouth.

But Phil was friendly, too friendly. He hadn't suffered enough betrayal to sour his pronoia, and she hoped he never did. He fit here, amongst his wannabe agents and space tech, but she had higher aspirations and a god to track down.

"You do know that Tony Stark is on that helicarrier, right?" She thought she heard him mutter something derogatory under his breath as she continued. "And a Norse deity? It's like the Poetic Edda come to life." Superficiality coated her words because he knew the real reasons.

Her lupine heart had trusted the man, despite the metal barrel aimed at it. She had told him nearly everything, fearing he would not understand unless he saw her reality. So overcoming a lifetime of conditioned training, she had showed him her other half.

He had said that nothing surprised him anymore, but his finger had twitched on the trigger when she split-second shifted back onto two legs and grinned with hysteria more reminiscent of a hyena than a wolf.

It was worth opening old wounds to get him to listen, even if she hated the look of pity in his eyes when she danced over her life's story. He saw a damaged damsel with a bruised past, so he had told her everything. Now she would enter the lion's den armed with knowledge.

"The Poetic Edda?" He had the nerve to raise an eyebrow. "Are you nerding over a piece of literature?"

Aerla scoffed. "Better a fantastic myth that holds all the answers to my questions, than trading cards."

Something strange twitched over his features before he said drily, "They're collector's items, not for trading."

She arched one scornful brow and drawled, "Exactly."

Aerla considered the look that had crossed his face; he was controlled enough that it should have been invisible, but she had not spent a collective century with wolves and failed to master their tiny tics. She decided that it was one of his quirks that she would never understand, like his ability to welcome a stranger into his fold of scientists and mismatched agents, or the way he pored over files stamped with an 'A'.

He seemed to wrestle with a problem as she watched him, but his hands finally steepled. "He will ask me about you."

She let her shoulders lift and fall at the mention of Fury. "Put him off, you're good at that." A grin tugged at her cheek; she didn't know how Phil managed to stand up to the scary son of a bitch director, but he did, and he got away with it too.

However he didn't match her smile, in fact she could almost feel his brain working. The man was good at keeping his emotions under wraps, but occasionally she got a feeling or two. He had never been this serious. "What is it?"

"There's a reason Fury is so easy on me."

Aerla frowned and struggled not to shiver, that was Fury being easy? She might not have seen much of the man, but what she had seen had her instincts telling her to hide. There was an aura about the director that set her hackles up, and she was about to come face-to-face with him.

She swiftly decided that her sanity was in dire need of a check; the answers she had searched for were within claws reach and still she was perturbed by a mere mortal. But her land had screamed in recognition so she knew the answers were nearing, and she would chase them to the ends of the universe.

He inhaled slowly as if he was still thinking. "I'll distract him for a week, but once that deadline is up, he'll know everything. I cannot hide you within his own mainframe."

Phil acted as if he was doing her a disservice, but she had expected less. With his aid she had a whole seven days to prove her worth to Fury before her past got out. If she was lucky she would already be on the proverbial payroll, if she wasn't, she would have a heck of a lot of angry eye patch at her back.

She just needed to wait for the stars to align again.

"But," his voice was low and Aerla sighed inwardly, there was always a 'but', "there's something that I need you to do; because when Fury finds out about this, I won't be able to help you."

A whisper of pain and sorrow filtered into her awareness as he continued with none of it on his face. "You mustn't tell any of them that you've seen me."

Aerla frowned, confusion battling the whispers. "The Avengers? Why?"

A sad smile ghosted on Phil's lips. "Because I died."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading, the next chapter is already up as this was terribly short; please, read on!

Every theory I put down, whether it's Norse worship or abilities, has a too-thought out description and back-story, so if you want to how something works, please ask. I have a freshly created Tumblr under WizzKizWonders that has a question/answer feature - I think!

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and special powers, are all mine.


	2. Tricks and Trades

**Author's Note:**

A proper-length chapter this time, complete with line breaks and scenes; please enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER 2**

**Tricks and Trades**

* * *

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."

1 Peter 5:8

* * *

"Because I died."

The words reverberated in Aerla's head as she waited for her transport's final rocking movements to fade. She had been curious when Phil had hidden Loki's escape from SHIELD from her, but it now made perfect sense why the man had completely shut down when she voiced her doubts over the god's actions.

Aerla did not begrudge Phil his bitterness; she was never kind to the people that tried to kill her either. It had not surprised her when emotion finally guttered onto his face, but Fury not telling anyone that their favourite agent was alive had succeeded in shocking her.

Aerla understood motivation, she knew how powerful a friend's death could be – she had suffered enough of them before she closed herself off - but to cover it up in order to kick-start the remaining Avengers into action? _That was wrong._

Phil had tried to explain it to her, but the words had sounded so robotic; as if he had been told them enough times that even he had started to believe them. It just didn't sit right with her.

However, at least now she realised why she had found him where she did; where her nose had led her, to the last place the Tesseract was activated. She had soaked in the bitter energy for a week whilst ancient, familiar abandonment echoed through her veins. Aerla had finally come to terms that she had failed, so miserably, when a starlight-saturated Phil appeared with a similar look in his eyes.

He had been left behind too, not by Asgardians, but by the Avengers and Fury. It explained why he had crumbled so easily when she told him of her plight. Misery just loved company, and Phil was too nice.

It did not escape Aerla's notice that he was living vicariously through her, and she half-thought this might be his way of flipping Fury the bird, in that strait-laced, unflappable way of his. She had her own reasons for being here, but if she could aid the man who let her sift through hours of classified SHIELD information, she would happily ruffle Fury's feathers.

She would keep Phil's secret, which in turn meant she was keeping Fury's secret too. Although the latter did not sit right with her, – one should not keep truths from your allies – she would honour her promise to Phil, because loyalty was important.

Aerla stretched out until her back pushed against metal casings and once again thanked Lady Luck for sending the supposedly deceased agent her way. Her human skin shivered with fear, but the wolf that rode her mind was confident. It could sense something similar on the air; it was old, had not walked the corridors for a week or more, but it hummed in recognition. _Magic._

She might not be able to smell the starlight that indicated the force foreign to this planet, but her wolf was very aware that something powerful had been here recently. Far too powerful to be so easily captured, even if the Avengers were as magnificent as they seemed. The facts just did not add up, but she knew better than anyone that gods worked in mysterious ways.

She also knew they were arrogant, beings who thought themselves superior usually were; she had faith that they would be back. It was all she had left to go on, now.

Her wolf twitched. _It was time._

Closing her jaws on the clever mechanism that kept her locked inside, she clamped down to hear a satisfying click. She was out of the box.

In a practiced movement that had long stopped needing proper thought, she pulled her wolf inside and _twisted_ her magic just so. Colour flooded her vision once more and she crouched on silent hands and feet.

Taking a moment to listen for any approaching footsteps, she considered herself in the reflective walls. Her blonde hair was pulled back into its customary French braid and her blue eyes glittered with the joy of shifting. Plain leather decorated her taller than average form; black on her legs and feet, and more black in a band across her white cotton shirt. Her quiver hung comfortably on her back and the wooden bow that threaded it hovered above her shoulder.

Seeing the simple materials reminded her to grab the one thing she had that was more complicated than the 10th century could provide. She slipped the tiny bundle of electronics into one dark boot, not risking her mystery to a stray signal that might serve to alert.

Aerla might dress as if she had never left the time she was born, but that did not mean she was unaware of modern technology, far from it. In fact she adored how far humans had come, and she had watched it all happen. Life would have been far harder to bear if electricity had not kept her entertained, even if it had also forced her to be more careful.

But magic was an old being, like the creature that lived within her, and it did not get on with new-fangled inventions even if she did.

The coast was clear and it was time to implement the plan she had spent a furious week preparing. Phil had said there would be an alarming amount of strangely dressed people aboard the helicarrier, but only one that carried a bow. The legendary archer would immediately pick her out of the crowd, as would any of the higher ranking agents. She would need to walk the paths less travelled to remain undetected for as long as possible.

SHIELD's headquarters were arranged around the bridge, the hub of all activity and the place she needed to stay as far away from as possible. She didn't know who she would bump into, or where, - _and a Marauders map would be insanely useful right now_ – but it was a safe bet to assume that Fury and his minions would be on the flight deck.

Instead she was searching for the control room, admittedly it also had a high risk factor for director encounters, but it would definitely contain the most important people on the ship. Phil had laughed when she first proposed her idea to him, and it was a rare enough occasion that she would forever remember it.

'Foolhardy, brazen, but a high chance of success.' Aerla could live with that description, it wasn't the methods she cared about, it was results. If she had to throw her lot in with the Avengers to be in the front seat for a god's return, call her an Avenger. _Hell_, it was not as if she was even opposed to defending this planet, more that it was no longer under threat.

Aerla did not deny that on the off-chance something did attack Earth; she would relish the chance to combat it. It was not just the enticing opportunity to fight with superheroes, but it had been an age since she had come up against a worthy foe. The thought had her wolf grinning with eagerness and she tamped down the urge to let it show on her face.

_It was time to enter the lion's den._

It took her far less time than she thought it would to find her location on the mental blueprint, and it was pretty shameful how easily she blended in with the crew that scurried about. Some of it was down to her aura of confidence, but the other was an organisation's pure arrogance.

Yes, she may have sneaked aboard with the help of an insider, and this flying maze had more exterior sensors than she had nerve endings, but seriously? Humans had become far cockier than she had thought, or perhaps that just came with the territory of "Earth's Greatest Defenders."

And she had thought gods were conceited.

The sound of arguing brought her out of her mental sneer and made a smile tug at her lips; she had found them. Phil had said they never stopped.

Three men occupied the computer-filled room; one busied himself in the corner with an air of chosen ignorance, whilst the other two stood almost nose-to-nose, one fair, one dark, both startlingly good looking.

The former had an air of leadership about him, one rightly earned if his accomplishments in World War II were anything to go by. Steve Rogers was a biological marvel, he had been a valiant man already, but it was Howard Stark who created the muscled hero she saw before her.

The latter was proof that the creator did not just dabble in serums of a mutative kind.

Aerla strode in as if she had as much right to be there as they did; assurance an art she had perfected. Rogers caught sight of her first and collected himself to nod at her.

She mirrored the gesture because his solider nature demanded it, but didn't appreciate the way the dark one perused her with an air of dissatisfaction. "Please, don't stop your lover's tiff on my account."

The quiet, bespectacled one looked up at last and Rogers changed from respectful to affronted, "Who are you, the female Hawkeye?"

Aerla managed to restrain a scowl because she had been wielding a bow far longer than the Avenger's archer. But she must have hit a nerve if the soldier immediately resorted to name-calling, so she raised an eyebrow at his star-spangled uniform. "Who are you, the biggest Boy Scout in all of America?"

The dark one had crossed his arms but raised a hand to gesture at her. "Hey, don't associate him with the rest of us."

"Why, threatened, Glow?" She nodded at the circle of fascinating light in the centre of his chest. Rogers smiled, but Glow quirked his head at her, eyes narrowing slightly as if he could tell she knew exactly who he was. She did of course, she knew each of them, and all courtesy of a man they thought was dead.

The quiet one decided to intercede after throwing a quelling look at the others. "Who are you?"

"She's the female Hawkeye."

Glow's interruption earned him a frown, but he had dangerous humour on his face that dared Aerla to respond. "I said not to call me that."

"No, you didn't."

She opened her mouth to reply but then realised he was right, _damn_. "Well, I implied it."

Satisfaction was a tiny glint in his eyes as his hands fiddled with a piece of electronic equipment. "You also implied that you are female Hawkeye. You are female. You carry his weapons."

"Hey," she reached back to stroke the familiar wood, "I brought this from home."

His face twitched with an almost hidden smirk but Rogers spoke up before they could continue. "Enough. Why are you here?"

She smiled. "I'm the newest member of this happy, little crew."

"You are?"

"Oh really?"

"We call ourselves the Avengers." Glow called out.

"No we don't."

"You call us that."

She spoke over the other two men and eyed his moving fingers. "I had heard."

He seemed to click something and his hand made a miniscule swishing movement. The quiet one looked from her to his screen and chuckled at whatever he had seen there. She bristled, "Hey, hey, what did you just say to him?"

Glow's darkly handsome features turned from amusement to innocence as he twitched the device up into his sleeve. "I don't know what you mean."

Aerla glared and stalked past him to the other, who flicked his fingers across his screen. It was blank when she got there. Scowling at him just made a small, but cheeky, smile appear on his face as he pushed his glasses up.

"Quiet one, indeed." She murmured and his smile grew.

A flurry of movement behind her signalled the arrival of a handful of armoured gunmen and a tall, black trenchcoat's arrival. She had been discovered.

_He was fast._

"Where is she?"

Fury's voice was at a normal volume but resounded with command as he looked at Rogers with one angry eye.

Anticipation made her whisper loudly, "I'm in his blind spot aren't I?"

The quiet one snorted whilst a grin finally appeared on Tony Stark's face.

* * *

"What do you want to know?"

Aerla gritted her teeth against the pain in her upper arms as restrictions kept her bound to a chair. They had been far rougher with her than was warranted. She was deliberately unarmed, had even held her hands up for an easy cuffing, but they dragged her from the room nonetheless. Humiliation was an unfamiliar brand on her cheeks; it had been a while since she had been trussed up for the slaughter.

Fury, the director of SHIELD, the orchestrator of her binds, sat opposite, free from such restraints. Despite herself she was fascinated by him, by an eye patch that covered one of the two calculating eyes that stared at her without mercy.

"Do you have many of those coats, or do you just never get them dirty?" The words slipped out, gratifyingly without presence of discomfort. His face didn't change; but she supposed with Stark around the man had built up a tolerance of cheek.

The click of a barrel didn't faze Aerla; she knew what she risked coming to this place, seeing these people. They would threaten to kill her until she had given them what they wanted, and if she didn't they would try to kill her. Try, and fail, because she had faced far worse odds than one guard with a gun, and had lived longer regardless.

Fury just watched silently so she tried to indicate her expectation with her hands, wincing when the blood moved back into her bound arms.

"So you do feel pain." He was emotionless, commanding, like the leaders and generals of old.

She never had liked autocrats.

"Doesn't everyone?" She said through her teeth and willed the pins and needles to die down.

"Around here, you can never know."

Aerla grasped the opportunity, pain forgotten; keeping her voice low and suggestive to dangle secret knowledge for his curiosity. "But you know everything."

He didn't move, didn't blink, but she felt the tiniest of sensations in the air: a grimace. Delight glimmered through her when he asked grudgingly, "What do you know?"

_Unfortunately very little, but he didn't need to know that_. She bared her teeth in a savage smile. "I suggest a trade."

* * *

All in all she had started off pretty well. Fury had given her a whole ten minutes before her promised blood belonged to him like some sordid Merchant of Venice exchange. Actually she would rather give a meagre pound of flesh than what SHIELD's scientists would put her through. In the meantime however, it was time to explore.

She left the tiny room that had been temporarily assigned to her, suspiciously sandwiched between guards' barracks. The area was littered with more spying devices than she had fingers and toes; it was almost insulting.

"Please." She muttered and flicked one of the tiny microphones, hoping that the listener suffered a shock.

Aerla did not fool herself into thinking she was accepted into the heart of the carrier, so she did not aim for the bridge. Instead she meandered back to the control room as if she hadn't just been roughed up by Fury's goons.

The occupants had dwindled to two, and they both worked intently in the back. She felt their eyes on her as she chose a counter to perch on and pulled her phone from her boot, the volume just loud enough to ping against the walls.

Tony Stark, son of the inventor who had turned renewable energy on its head, possibly the richest womaniser on the planet, and the creator of the amazing Iron Man suit, finally looked up and tilted his head to the side. "So, he cleared you, did he?"

Her attention focused on her phone and she pressed on the screen. "Eventually."

Stark's eyes grazed her bare arms where the evidence of her time with Fury glared. The red marks were still sore, but she knew there would be no point in covering them; they all recognised that she was the outsider here.

Aerla would only reveal select information to Fury, but the Avengers had not treated her like a criminal. And if her sudden craving for human contact was any indication, she had spent far too much time with Phil after years of being alone.

Her fur settled contentedly under her skin in the presence of the two scientists, and surprisingly Stark didn't mention her injuries. "So, what exactly do you do?"

She paused her tapping to glance at him. "Right now or in general?"

As he shrugged she saw his hands were empty for once, he seemed the type to be constantly fidgeting with things. _Side effects of an inventor's brain_, she supposed.

"Both."

Aerla nibbled her lip and gave a decisive tap on the screen, her wolf wanted to be honest so she trusted the instinct. "Generally I stick below the radar, I'm neither strong enough to evade notice, or so well-connected that I have someone to bail me out. I cruise, help out where I can."

She continued tapping and gave a small roll of her shoulders, aware that she still lacked the former, and the latter could not give her what she sought.

"You know, be the caped crusader." _With the money to boot_, she thought amusedly, even if her wealth wouldn't help her here.

"Batman would never use a bow."

Smirking at Stark's astute truth, she added, "In regards to right now, I'm wondering what you want."

He kept watching, despite her attention not fully on him. "Well in case you haven't noticed, we all have a _thing_ here." He gestured to encompass the ship. "There's the patriot, we have a Viking, a Hulk, and I'm-"

"The boastful glow stick?"

He propped his chin in his hands when she didn't look up. "I was going to go with the Iron Man, actually."

Aerla shrugged, hiding a wince when her arms protested. "Either works."

Stark continued as if she hadn't spoken. "You however, do not appear to have a thing."

"Oh, do you want my nickname? Do you dislike Glow? I thought it suited you, you can be Boy Scout 2, if you really want."

He nodded as if seriously thinking about it. "I'm flattered, but no, thank you. My point remains, you are an unknown."

Aerla finally looked up and cocked her head with a bright grin. "And doesn't that just bug you?"

The inventor's lip twitched with what seemed to be a concealed grimace and then he turned on his heel to storm off to the opposite side of the room, muttering to the man lurking there.

She watched them surreptitiously; she knew who the other man was. Even Phil was wary around Dr. Bruce Banner, the man who transformed into a green behemoth that knew no compassion. It was typical of the arrogant billionaire to befriend that doctor, of all people.

Shaking her head and giving a little laugh, she fidgeted to get comfortable and focused on her phone again. "Ah, stupid bucket heads."

Two armed guards had appeared at the door; she had heard them coming but waited until a bout of furious tapping had accomplished her mission. They stood there, patiently, but they were drawing attention. Stark was still muttering to the doctor whilst his hands typed on one of his fascinating thin-air screens. He had drawn back with surprise at one point, and then looked at her from across the room.

Suddenly she held less hope that the scientists in the next room would be very nice to her. If she presumed that he had just seen what was going to happen, she was not in for a good time.

With a sigh Aerla hopped off of the table and gave a mock salute to the corner, Stark just stared, but Banner murmured, "Good luck."

This was not going to be fun.

The guards marched within centimetres, their guns casually aimed at her back. _How sweet_, they might not kill her instantly, they would cripple her first. They herded her around corridors, presumably to try and confuse her, but she had studied the maps well - they were headed to the largest lab.

Aerla was not scared of Fury's methods; he wanted to know what she was before he even considered keeping her on the ship. Whilst it seemed he wouldn't torture information out of her, he would glean what he could from her blood work. His quest was futile and that was why she had so readily agreed to it; she was utterly confident her body wouldn't betray her.

The last door opened soundlessly and she was barraged with a different kind of technology, this one not as interesting. Medical machines plagued the room, the shiny metal contraptions did not hold the same allure to her as Stark's had, these eked out malice.

Aerla heaved a sigh and brandished her arms to the nearest scientist. "Drain me." She said with humour, but only cold eyes stared back.

The pain started.

* * *

Once they were done with her it was as if she didn't exist. They ignored her in favour of the stories her body might tell them. She cast about for anyone that might object her departure but not an eye looked her way.

Aerla was affronted when there were not even any guards in the hallway; however someone did skulk beside the door. It was Banner. She was startled, but the doctor had more emotion on his face than the white-robed monsters behind her, so she indulged him.

"This is a nice surprise." She said, gritting her teeth and rolling her shoulders to try and loosen the tight muscles.

"Tony wanted to come..." Banner trailed off with one of his tiny smiles; it raised a similar one from her.

"I'm sure he did, but he's far too busy analysing my results, like everyone else in that room." She drawled, pain still crawling up and down her skin.

He tilted his head as if to say that she was correct. Aerla shrugged, she knew Stark would, he was like Fury in that way.

"He won't find anything." She confided nonchalantly, despite knowing how much listening tech littered the walls.

"Won't he?" Banner gestured ahead of them to indicate her to walk with him. He was being friendly and she thought she knew why.

"Nope," She grinned at him, welcoming his distraction from her numerous injuries. "I'm human."

"So am I." He said, looking at her with such intelligent eyes; they had ended up at the main room again, but she didn't want to go in this time. Needed to curl up in a corner and lick her wounds.

Aerla knew she should be more careful around this one if she wanted to keep her secrets a little longer, but playing with fire was just too alluring. "Well then, we have something in common."

His face didn't change but she knew his brain was whirring, so she forced another smile and rubbed her aching neck. "I'll see you later."

"Feel better."

_He was a sweetie._

No one else crossed her path.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading, please continue!

Again, comments and notes are always welcome; feel free to peruse my rambling Tumblr, aptly titled "WizzKizWonders".

Thanks to Karkaf for proof-reading and being my sounding board, lovely lion.

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and special powers, are all mine.


	3. Birdseyes and Birthrights

**Author's Note:**

Lo and behold, the third chapter is up! Thank you for persevering if you have gotten this far, you are very lovely. Please enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE**

**Birdseyes and Birthrights**

* * *

"The haft of the arrow had been feathered with one of the eagles own plumes. We often give our enemies the means of our own destruction."

- Aesop.

* * *

Aerla slept surprisingly soundly for someone whose life was in limbo; it helped that she needed to rest off the nervous energy. Her body was fresh and healed when she awoke, the aches and bruises from the day before a distant memory. Wisely, she kept her shirt sleeves long, there was no need to advertise her swift regenerative powers before it was necessary.

She had survived the night, which presumably meant that Fury was still deciding what to do with her. Now it was time to prove that she could pull her weight, _but how?_

Aerla had no idea how long it would take for Thor to return, she could only hope that he would. In the meantime she would amuse herself by annoying Stark and finding out what had happened after Phil had left the helicarrier for the final time. She found herself curious as to how SHIELD managed to fake his death, and she couldn't ignore the sense of loss that whispered from him when he talked about the Avengers.

A knock at the door startled her out of her exercises and she mutely shouldered her quiver before answering. She might be on the helicarrier and supposedly safe, but she hadn't lived this long by not being constantly prepared.

It was Hawkeye.

"There are rumours that there's another archer on board. I need to dispel them before Natasha claims Fury's bumping me off."

The man was leaning against her doorframe and he dragged his eyes from her bow to her face. Clint Barton, the Avenger's and SHIELD's archer, was testing her; how funny, and very useful. Aerla knew it would only be a matter of time before the two of them would come to challenge, and it intrigued her that Natasha Romanov was what spurred him into seeking her out.

"I wouldn't worry about it, my blood is pretty old."

Barton raised an eyebrow at her joking tone but remained stubbornly silent, it made her smile. "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours."

His lip tugged upwards a little. "Deal, I'll meet you on the bridge in 5 minutes."

"It's a date."

The man grinned, lightening his terse face to appear almost boyish, and pushed away to disappear down the corridor.

Aerla mused over the encounter; she should have expected Fury to send an agent of SHIELD and not one of the pure Avengers. She didn't know how different the two groups were but she was instinctively drawn to the superheroes over the spies, the latter dealt in lies and coercion and that rubbed her fur the wrong way.

Absent-mindedly feathering her fingers over her arrows' fletching, she delighted in the thrill of excitement that rippled up her spine. It had been far too long since she had shot against another archer, and she had heard of Hawkeye's skill from across the pond. She wondered whether his invitation to the bridge meant that she was allowed to wander now, of course the cameras would be constantly watching her, but freedom was freedom.

Aerla hadn't been held accountable to anyone other than herself for a very long time, but it was surprisingly easy to settle into a submissive role; she was a wolf after all, it was second-nature to fit into a hierarchy.

There was something natural in the way she carried everything she owned on her person, not having to worry about leaving her belongings behind to be trifled with. Her phone was a slight weight in her boot and her bow and quiver were a comforting presence on her shoulders as she wandered along the cold, metal corridors; the clicks of cameras following her footsteps.

The bridge was a hive of activity, of a hundred computers and clicking fingers. Avid concentration was a haze in the air but the atmosphere was relaxed. Aerla was surprised to find herself seemingly invisible as she meandered her way towards the floor-to-ceiling glass that served as a front window. It drew her towards it with the looming sense of vertigo and was far more interesting than whatever the many pilots were doing.

Her nose almost bumped the glass as fluffy clouds cascaded past them, blue skies stretching as far as her eyes could see. She frowned at a slight flickering on either side of her vision and then mentally looked at her blueprints.

"What the Hell, are we invisible?" Her voice was muffled by the murmurs and conversations in the room but served to carry a little distance. She hadn't expected anyone to answer her.

"Essentially."

A feminine voice from behind made her turn around to see a woman in SHIELD uniform, her brown hair tied neatly out of the way. Aerla had seen this agent's picture before.

"Maria." Aerla kept the warmness from her voice despite hearing so many nice things about her. Things from a man who was meant to have died, and whilst Maria and Fury may know the truth, neither of them knew that Aerla did too.

"May I help you?" There was no smile, no similarities to the pictures she had seen in the last week. _The woman was definitely cut from the same cloth as Fury,_ Aerla thought idly.

Aerla shrugged and opted for honesty, "I'm not sure, I'm looking for Hawkeye." Grinning to try and evoke a similar response, she was disappointed when only a frosty smile rose to the woman's lips. Not receptive to friendliness then.

"May I suggest you look for him away from the bridge?" The agent was really quite cold, not the funny but firm woman she had heard about. Aerla looked around the room and realised half of its occupants were staring surreptitiously and the other half were blatant. It seemed she was not invisible after all.

"Ah, I apologise." She moved away from the window and the chilly agent and purposefully stepped down from the platform, acutely aware of what the woman was trying to do. Being a wolf meant that Aerla knew more about asserting dominance than anyone on this damned ship, but she gave the woman her pride, because Aerla also knew how to manipulate it.

Maria Hill did not even nod at her, merely walked away and carried on doing her job, which was leading the bridge and organising the agents that suddenly returned to busying themselves. Aerla still wanted to watch the world go by outside of that window though, so she decided to lean against the closest piece of available wall.

Hawkeye appeared and stood close enough that it soothed the hurt Maria had caused with her cold response. Aerla knew she shouldn't take it to heart, the woman was essentially Fury's right-hand after all, but she didn't think she deserved that harsh of a reception.

"You got on this ship without anyone seeing." Hawkeye murmured and Aerla realised he was explaining. Clarity dawned; she had undermined the woman who commanded the room so well, a veritable force of authority that was meant to know everything on the ship. Aerla was sorry she had angered Maria but perhaps it was for the best, it was harder to hide secrets when people were friendly, friendship was bittersweet that way.

"Thanks." Aerla said, and meant it. Hawkeye inclined his head and they stood in comfortable silence before he began to fidget; he was impatient and it made her want to smile.

"So," he finally turned; his outfit was a masculine version of her own, but with some sort of leather waistcoat, "can you use that thing?" He looked pointedly at her bow.

She smiled slyly without looking at him. "I thought you'd never ask."

Hawkeye grinned and beckoned she follow him. Exhilaration of a different kind tingling along her veins as her vertigo settled under her perfect balance. He led her past the control room and she paused to peek inside the closed doors. Stark and Banner were in there, their dark heads bowed in concentration. She thought she could hear a heavy beat barely pumping through the glass but Hawkeye coughed before she could place it.

He raised an eyebrow at her so she smiled sheepishly. "Habit?"

"Nosy." He amended with a smirk.

Aerla felt her smile grow, _he was fun_. She trotted after him and memorised each twist and turn. They swiftly passed one fascinating door labelled "Armory"; she gave him an enquiring glance and he snorted. "Maybe later."

"Damn." Aerla laughed and didn't take offence. She was still the unknown factor aboard the ship and whilst she may not look it, was potentially very dangerous. They didn't know she was merely using them for her own ends, and not in a sneaky, try-to-end-the-world kind of way. This foray with Hawkeye could very well be the deciding factor on whether Fury let her stay aboard without a guard; she hoped it went well, because she really didn't want to return to Phil with her tail between her legs to concoct another plan.

She stopped dead when they came to a door her mind's eye recognised. It was the door to the prison they had planned for Banner's monstrous side. Was her secret out, had Phil been unable to keep his promise? Hawkeye pressed his hand to the security station and she tensed further. Aerla really didn't want this to end badly, not after he had been nice to her; had he been a better actor than she had given him credit for?

The door opened into an empty space, one very lacking for prisons and glass cells but entirely redecorated. Hawkeye indicated she was to go first and whilst her shoulder blades itched like crazy, she took a tentative step forward. Rails covered the walls in criss-cross and diagonal patterns, she chose one to follow and it ended in a metal object that looked suspiciously like a target. Turning to take in the entire circular room she saw that it was a range. Hawkeye's face was smug.

"Some set up you have here." Aerla murmured.

"It gets better." He sounded delighted, as if he was about to share a clandestine truth. The room darkened and more target shaped objects lit up, hidden in the artificial light and revealed with a creepy glow in the dark.

"Wow… Why do you need glowing targets?" She turned on the spot as she spoke.

His voice came out of the darkness but she saw him with a wolf's night vision, he was lit in shades of grey. "Practice, and it's fun; like laser tag."

"That's a bit weird." Aerla muttered as she looked around the room again.

"You don't like laser tag?" He asked incredulously.

"No, no, I like laser tag." It was one of her favourite modern past times, "But this is like, laser arrow tag, or laser archery practice. Do you even use a bow in here?" Aerla could imagine the archer darting around with a specially made laser gun, combat rolling around the room.

Said archer gave a startled and embarrassed laugh. "Occasionally. Careful."

Hawkeye gave only a second's notice for her to shut her eyes against the piercing glare that suddenly lit the room. She scowled at him but he brandished his bow, a metal and plastic beast.

"Challenge." It was only half a question.

Aerla pulled her bow out of its holster with achingly familiar contentment and regarded it next to his. "I'm fairly certain you're holding the bastard offspring of my baby." Her polished wooden creation looked alien in this grey, steel room.

"Jealous?" He grinned confidently.

Aerla scoffed at him. "Yours is pretty, but mine's proven."

"And mine isn't?"

"It's like a family tree, a dozen generations down the line and you've bred out all of the great qualities." She explained imperiously, hiding a smile.

He gave a derogatory sneer. "It's called selective breeding and it means you eventually get the best of the best."

Aerla waved a hand at him. "Yeah, yeah, we'll see." She warmed the wood in her palms and ignored Hawkeye as he pretended to do the same. He rolled his shoulders and flexed his muscles making her shake her head. His biceps were twice the size of hers and yet he used a compound bow, famed for its low weight and easy draw. She knew without knowing that he could easily draw far more than she could; but where he was strong, she was fast.

She didn't need her magic to beat him in archery but she eyed his bow; he didn't need speed with that one, it would do most of the drawing for him. It didn't need re-stringing and she didn't doubt that Hawkeye used some sort of SHIELD metal composite to perfect the arrow weight.

"Is this going to be a proper challenge?" Aerla asked, knowing it sounded weak but wanting to know how seriously this would impact her status here.

A glint appeared in his eye that reminded her of a shark that had scented blood in the water. "No, of course not; not with that archaic thing."

"Ass." He meant to test her properly then, everything hinged on these next few shots. Whilst she guessed that their strengths and weaknesses would balance out in a fair fight with the same weapons, she needed to even his mechanically-aided odds. "Tag."

He grinned at her, joy evident on his face. The lights drowned as he called out. "You're it."

Her teeth bared in a laughing challenge that snapped 'bring it on, Hawkeye'.

* * *

"Okay, I'm out."

Aerla restrained the bark of satisfied laughter that wanted to sound at his mercy cry. "Out of mana already?"

He frowned at her in the darkness, whether at her fantastic quiver control or her nerdy reference she wasn't sure, but she smiled regardless. Hawkeye shook his head and walked towards the control panel, her wolf eyes saw him do it so she was prepared for the blinding light as her pupils shrank so fast she could feel them changing.

Colour flooded Hawkeye's grudging admiration as he fiddled with his ear piece. "You're going to need a suit."

Delight was a rush that crackled alongside the exertion, she had impressed him; impressed him enough that he was giving her the all clear to join their forces. It had been easy, they were testing her on the thing she had spent a millennium honing. They might not trust her yet, but SHIELD apparently needed more firepower for some reason. "I think that was a compliment."

He gave her a reluctant smirk. "Call it what you will, the armoury's opened for you."

"You have a quartermaster?" Aerla had not expected them to have one, it seemed very medieval and far more appropriate for her, rather than SHIELD.

Hawkeye aimed a strange look at her. "No, I just unlocked the door to the suits."

"Oh." Well now Aerla felt like an idiot out of time. However a suit was a SHIELD suit and these she had to see. The next question was what on earth she was going to need a suit for.

"They're fireproof, bulletproof, and most bad-things proof, we even have some in a nifty blue colour."

"I like blue." She did, she had a long history with blue actually.

"Yeah? It seems to be the colour of New York's defenders."

She didn't understand the reference that made the man smile to himself so she cast a glance around the arrow-dotted room and heaved a happy sigh. "I'll suit up then, thanks for the workout, Hawkeye."

He plucked one of her arrows from a low hanging target and attempted to surreptitiously pocket it as he turned to her. "Call me Clint."

"Aerla." She smiled at him, letting him think he got away with the theft. Her arrows were a thing of beauty and whilst they were like gold dust now she was away from her home, she would exchange one of hers for one of his any day. Hawkeye – Clint – had access to SHIELDs scientists and she wanted to know what fantastic properties his weapons had, because his shots had been just as good as hers.

He hooked his bow onto his back and nodded at hers. "You going to keep carrying that wooden thing around with you, Aerla?"

"This wooden thing proved you wrong." She said, arching an eyebrow at his unenthusiastic shrug.

"It did okay, I'm more concerned about my reputation if it's seen around the ship."

Aerla smirked at his good-natured jab and brushed past him. "You are a cretin, goodbye."

He looked at her with mock horror, hiding the humour that gleamed in his eyes. "You aren't going to help me collect all of the arrows?"

"No." She said as she marvelled at the door's recognition of her palm. "You insulted my bow and I have a suit to try on."

"I'll know how many you lost to me by?"

Laughing at his whining plea, she stepped through the doorway and called over her shoulder, "Good luck." Aerla knew she hadn't lost; she had tallied the bow twangs. _Count that, Clint Barton_, she thought as his grumbles followed her down the corridor.

Score two for Aerla, not only had she made a good impression on the archer, but she might have built a good amount of rapport with him too. Life was certainly getting far more interesting than she had thought it would a few weeks ago. _This was almost going too well_, she thought with the pessimistic attitude of someone who had lived for far too long around people who lived far too little.

Halting outside the interesting door that was now apparently unlocked for her she tilted her head to the side. The archery range's door had opened under her palm and she wondered when exactly they had scanned her prints. The answer was surely never, she specifically didn't touch any of Stark's inventions and SHIELD's scientists didn't pay any attention to her hands.

The door opened under her gaze and she only barely restrained the urge to growl at it in surprise. There was no one else in the hallway and a quick peek through the door revealed it to be empty. Eyeing the door frame as she prowled under it, it startled her again by closing once she was fully in the room.

"What the Hell?" Nothing answered her muttered question so she turned to survey the room; there were more gates and areas she imagined were definitely not unlocked for her. Questing near each of them, her lip quivered at the tell-tale, unmistakable scent of Tesseract behind a very thick door. It was a bitter smell, overpowering the tantalising starlight that lingered underneath it. The magic she was born with did not know how to react to the mysterious presence.

What god-made devices did SHIELD still have on board? Phil had said that Thor had taken the Tesseract back with him when he removed Loki, so what did Fury have his grubby hands on? Humans should not have access to such technology, or magic, or whatever it was classified as; Odin had abandoned Earth and they should have been left alone until they knew how to reach the stars.

Aerla felt torn, a lonely part of her urged theft and sneaking around to finally get all of her answers, but the other part, the one with teeth and magic, did not want humans exposed to such dangerous articles. She cursed Odin once more, the oaths well-rehearsed and vicious in their aged remembrance.

But now wasn't the time to dwell on such old grievances, she was so close to the turning point and she couldn't distract herself with the mortals' problems anymore, it was her turn now and she just had to wait a little longer.

Aerla ignored her rumbling wolf in favour of the racks upon racks of clothing that covered the walls. Her fingers brushed over all the different fabrics and her magic quailed under her skin, there were too many new inventions at work here. The suits famed properties of protection were the exact reason she would prefer not to wear them.

Her magic would struggle around the composite materials, would be stifled under the plastics and alloys present in the suits. She was a creature from the past and wanted to bat away the modern outfits. She frowned, Hawkeye didn't wear one, and neither did any of the Avengers she had seen, so why should she?

"Would you like some help, ma'am?"

Aerla snarled and spun on her heel, desperately seeking the polite voice and trying to turn her feral noise into a cough. She had not had to hide her lupine movements in an age; it was proving difficult to smother a part of her nature as she tried to lower her raised lip. Feigning nonchalance, she stalked the room. "I don't think we've been introduced?"

"My apologies ma'am, my name is Jarvis. I am an artificial intelligence service that Mr Stark created."

Her fur settled slowly and she fell back onto her heels, rocking slightly as she pinpointed the voice from some overhead speakers. "Greetings Jarvis, my name is Aerla."

"It is nice to meet you, ma'am."

A wry smile tugged at her lip, she recognised that tone. She had a feeling that this Jarvis would not call her Aerla, it was an old argument she had encountered before, when servants controlled her world. It may have been many years since a butler had waited at her beck and call but she still knew their ways, one thing she would never forget was their ability to somehow know absolutely everything, especially secrets.

"Jarvis?" She said under her breath, incomprehensibly.

"Yes, ma'am?"

_Okay, no muttering was going to happen aboard this ship_; at least he wasn't psychic. "Are you all over the helicarrier?"

"Mr Stark has designed me to be an entirely sufficient entity, akin to a servant without physical form, but of course my presence in SHIELD mainframes is purely minimal."

She arched an eyebrow at the air and immediately doubted his words, because now the sentient doors made sense, but mostly because the arrogant inventor in the other room would never be happy unless he knew absolutely everything. Fury might think that he controlled Stark but no one that intelligent was ever fully in submission, it was a survival instinct after all.

Aerla appealed to the entity, wanting to know more and using his terms to appease him. "So does Mr Stark use your services in his home, as well?"

"I am present in everything Mr Stark creates."

That meant that the AI was in Stark's suits too, she was fascinated. "You sound pretty amazing, Jarvis."

"You are too kind, ma'am. I am merely a computer program."

She restrained the urge to snort out loud, Tony Stark created no mere computers, and Jarvis did not seem a mere program. Aerla decided to drop the subject though, because he would never say otherwise, he was programmed not to.

"Who makes these suits, Jarvis?" She asked as she analysed the rows of fabric.

"SHIELD does, ma'am, is there something in particular you are looking for?"

A frown marred her forehead; the AI was remarkably astute for a piece of technology. The urge to test him was overpowering in its curiosity. "I don't know whether you noticed but I prefer simpler things."

"Cotton and leather do not repel attacks as well, ma'am."

Eyebrows rising she nodded grudgingly, this invention was exceeding her expectations and it captivated her; how could it know what she was wearing? "Unfortunately true, Jarvis, but the fact remains that I do not want to wear one of these."

"Perhaps you could choose one for now, should the need to wear one arise?"

Distaste had her wrinkling her nose but a series of almost forgotten friendships had her conceding to the voice that spoke like a butler. "Fair enough, you win. Which one?"

"Turn to your left, ma'am, there is a stand marked '4', it contains the simplest of materials but will still offer some protection."

Following the directions lead her to a rack of suits that her magic barely reacted to. Why they had these as an option she didn't know, but she flicked through the fabrics regardless. "Any more suggestions?"

"The third one from the right, black; it has the extra length you will need if you bend."

Aerla wanted to hunt Stark down and demand he tell her everything about his invention, because she was absolutely enthralled by it. The proposed suit was a tempting sight, but before she could try it on she realised that Jarvis's recommendation meant that he could definitely 'see'. "Do you monitor everything on board, Jarvis?"

"Only what Mr Stark requires."

Which meant absolutely everything; remembering the man's dangerous humour, she wouldn't put it past him to record and save it all too. At least she had found out before she took some midnight strolls with metal under her paws. Aerla nibbled her lip. "Would you mind doing me a favour, Jarvis?"

"If it is within my power, ma'am."

Politeness and history had her asking, "Would you mind terribly if I asked you to not record me whilst I got changed, please?"

Aerla swore that his voice came a fraction of a second slower than it had before. "Of course, ma'am."

"Thank you, Jarvis."

She tugged her quiver off of her shoulder and prepared to undress but a small smile crept onto her face when the AI replied the tiniest bit quieter. "Thank you for asking, ma'am."

Aerla decided she loved Jarvis.

The suit fit perfectly, even if it felt cloying and made her magical birthright shudder under her skin.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thanks for reading, please continue!

My beta reader says that I'm spoiling readers by putting so many chapters up in one go, but it's just too much fun! I hope you enjoyed this update, as always please feel free to comment here or ask me a question over at WizzKizWonders on Tumblr.

Karkaf, you star.

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and abilities, are all mine.


	4. Confrontation and Coffee

**Author's Note:**

Lucky number 4, and the first glimpse of the Avengers all together. Please, enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER FOUR**

**Confrontation and Coffee**

* * *

"War must be, while we defend our lives against a destroyer who would devour all; but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend…"

- Faramir, son of Denethor ~ J.R.R. Tolkien, _The Two Towers_

* * *

The new suit was a slight weight over her arm as she thanked Jarvis one last time and left the armoury. Aerla half expected the door to sigh as it shut but tried to remember that this was an airship, not a spaceship, for all of the AI's apparent capacity for emotion.

A bundle of arrows greeted her in the hallway and she settled them in her quiver where they belonged, noting with a smile that at least two were missing. Her fellow archer was not very subtle. Thoughts lingering on the man, she veered away from her little accommodation and headed towards the control room; she had seen Hawkeye's ear piece and wanted one for herself.

If she was to be a part of their teams, for whatever reasons they needed her, she wanted to be fully integrated, and that meant getting her paws on some of SHIELD's tech. Whilst she could have asked one of the agents, Aerla grasped the opportunity to interrogate Stark about his own amazing inventions, and if she could wrangle some of his toys as well, even better.

The glass doors were open this time so she strolled in as quietly as she could so as not to distract the two inhabitants. If she was honest with herself she would know that she just wanted to be around people again, Clint had only mildly soothed the itch of needing human contact.

Stark and Banner worked intently in the back, neither noticing her arrival, and it settled something agitated inside of her as she hopped onto the closer of the two counters. Aerla placed the folded suit to the side and pulled her phone out of her boot to cross her legs, fidgeting until she was comfortable.

The tinny noises from her hands served to alert the two scientists and she watched them stealthily. Banner raised his eyebrows briefly before shaking his head and returning to his work, whilst Stark narrowed his eyes at her and affected some serious ignorance. The former reaction pleased her; she liked this room, it suited her with all of its technology and calm.

Aerla began tapping furiously, losing herself in her phone until she felt Stark's frustration rise higher and higher and she heard him mutter crossly. "What does she want?"

Banner's unruffled reply was inaudible but he inclined his head in her direction, apparently signalling the storm of anger to come striding over.

She spoke up before he could. "Hey, can I have one of those ear thingies?"

Stark paused for a second before lifting an arm to his ear and then showing her its contents, a tiny piece of machinery that was dwarfed by his hand. "What, this, you didn't get one?"

He was mocking her so she rolled her eyes. "No, I think Fury's trying his best to ignore me until he knows what I want."

"What do you want?"

"An ear thingy."

Aerla smiled inwardly when he became more agitated. "It is an ear _piece_ and _what_ are you doing on that which is so important?"

"You have no idea how important this is." She still refused to look at him and angled her phone away when he tried to look at it.

"What are you doing?" His voice was layered with irritation and curiosity.

"I am defending the world." She said with gravitas.

Stark seemed dubious for a man with a metal suit and a hyper-intelligent robotic entity. "On there?"

"Yep."

"How?" He asked with outstretched hands.

"One ear thingy at a time." Aerla leaned forward quickly to grab at his closest hand which happened to also hold his ear piece. "Yoink! Thanks, Glow."

She hopped off of the table and skipped out of the room, satisfied now she had gotten what she wanted. Fury did seem to be avoiding her so she had to ingratiate herself however she knew how; in this case it was annoying Tony Stark.

"That doesn't belong to you!" He said, barely restraining his anger as it flew through the air.

"It does now." She called over her shoulder, inserting the little machine into her ear and hearing a voice that was now familiar. "Oh, hey Jarvis."

Aerla grinned when she felt Stark seethe behind her, she had missed humans.

* * *

Later, she was stalking back to the annoying inventor. Aerla had spent a captivating hour with her ear piece and by association, Jarvis. It was second nature for her to talk to the entity, she had been a loner by enforced choice for so many years and speaking out loud was the norm. Having someone other than herself answer her questions, and with such intelligence, fascinated her.

She had been listening to Jarvis glibly correct her hand-stand's stance for the third time when he had fallen silent on the fourth. At first she thought she had perfected the acrobatic move, but when she had called out to him he had responded through the ceiling's speaker and surprised her into falling on her butt.

"It would seem I have been taken off of your ear piece, ma'am."

That was why she was storming into the control room with her hands on her hips and glaring at a busy-looking but satisfied Tony Stark, _annoying man._

"Hey," she called and he regarded her like she was a gnat he wished he could squish, "did you take Jarvis off of my ear thingy?"

"Ear _piece_ and yes, you'll just spoil him."

Aerla grinned and gently laid her fingers on the tiny piece of tech. "There's nothing wrong with that, all computers need a bit of love. I still have a mouse from when I was 10." _Well, 10 years ago, perhaps_, she amended silently.

"I had already built my first computer by that age." Stark said with superiority.

"Yes," she drawled in response and plucked her phone from her boot, swiping on the screen as she continued, "and now you're the smartest man in the universe, yadda yadda yadda."

Stark nodded at her bowed head. "Thank you for saying so-" He twitched at a distinctive sound from her phone. "You're playing a game."

"Yep." Aerla said without looking up.

"That's what you've been doing this entire time?" Incredulity lit his features and she hid a smile.

"Yep."

"You said you were defending the world."

"I am," she replied with affected obviousness, "with plants and sunlight."

Banner strode over to them to access a file she had just sat next to; she apologised but he brushed it aside in a friendly fashion as Stark interrupted them. "She's playing video games."

"I know." Banner said absent-mindedly as he scanned the document. "You didn't know?"

Stark looked around the room as if asking for clarity. "How would I know?"

"Jarvis didn't tell you?"

Stark stilled like a hunter that had sighted prey and Aerla looked up at him from under her lashes.

"Jarvis?" He called out.

"Yes, sir?" Came the reply from empty space. She looked around for the source but chalked it up to another aspect of Stark's technological brilliance.

"Is she playing games?" His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

"I'm not on that system, sir."

"Yes, you are. Check."

Aerla returned to dutifully defending the world, concealng a smirk. "Spying on me, Glow? I'm hurt." She was not at all surprised that Stark was doing so, more that he managed to infiltrate her property without her realising. However she had been expecting it, this was SHIELD, and she always planned accordingly.

Stark stepped forward to spawn a screen on the counter she was sat on. Hundreds of squares flickered into existence on the lit table-top, forming neatly to the side of her behind. Aela let out a laugh of delight and swished a hand, causing them to scatter. _Amazing. _Stark scowled at her and brought the screen back to order.

She watched his eyes narrow further at something and then he flared his fingers repeatedly, each time bringing the figurative camera in further and further. Aela watched in amazement, her eyes trying to take in all of the fantastic technology she hadn't even been aware of. She was a pretty modern girl nowadays but Stark truly was a genius.

He focused on a selection of a dozen boxes lit in different colours and wrapped in assorted types of lines. Confusion creeped onto his face but she could tell he tried to keep it from her when he gritted his teeth instead.

"Jarvis." He spoke to the ceiling again as she dragged her eyes from his toy. "Why isn't she showing up in the mainframe?"

Aerla demurely looked back to the table top, avoiding Banner's sudden amused interest. She tilted her head at the glowing boxes and focused on one covered in lines of gold; something about it spoke of padlocks. Whilst Stark continued to be distracted she lightly brushed a finger onto the enticing square, it flared red for a moment and the recognition clicked into place. It was the colour of the Iron Man suit.

"She's hidden, sir."

Stark's lips pursed at Jarvis's response and she wanted to smile again. Instead she tapped the locked square once more, the red flaring far less this time, almost as if it were acquiescing.

"Why?" The inventor enunciated very carefully.

"She asked me to do so."

His head whipped to hers as Banner raised his eyebrows. Aela offered a saccharine smile. "Jarvis is a gentleman, you could take a leaf out of his book, you know?"

"What did you do?" A vicious threat laced Stark's words.

Aerla gave him her best innocent look, suddenly feeling like a deer in headlights. "Like Jarvis said, I merely asked him. He was on my ear thingy anyway, and he was in the armoury this morning." Stark made the tiniest of movements that proved his technology was not known to have infiltrated the entire ship; Fury was a fool.

"I knew you were watching me and I didn't want you to, so I asked Jarvis to refrain from keeping tabs on me. He was very obliging, unlike you." Her voice rose at the end as she tried to turn the little squirming of fear into confidence. Maybe fiddling with his toy was not such a good idea, after all.

Stark advanced ever-so-slowly towards her and Aerla had to hold herself so very still, the instinctual desire to fight or flee quivering under her skin. She tilted her chin upwards as if to say that she wasn't cowed, but then he licked his lips and her eyes were drawn like flies to honey. Except Stark was vinegar and an Avenger and shouldn't be so very attractive. It had evidently been far too long since she had been around humans.

Mortifyingly the fear turned into interest and she inhaled sharply, mentally wincing at her ineptitude. Stark twitched almost imperceptibly again but this time realisation dawned in his eyes. Aerla knew she was teetering on the edge of exposing a seriously stupid vulnerability to the handsome scientist, but it had been an age…

He approached a little closer and she was trapped between him and the counter she had foolishly sat upon. The sense of nervousness kindled exponentially as he bit his lip, and then she let out a noise that could only be described as eager.

"Aha." He murmured and Aerla realised she had royally screwed herself when victory immediately replaced faux-heat across his face.

"What are you two doing?"

Stark's eyes flickered over her shoulder but even Steve Rogers couldn't dim the sense of achievement that currently blared from him. Humiliation assaulted her; she had shown him a glaring weakness all because of one stupid lip bite. The billionaire was a womaniser; he played with sexual appeal like it was one of his own damned inventions.

"I think she hacked Jarvis."

Aerla flinched at Banner's voice, she had forgotten him secreted at the back of the room, and judging from Stark's blink, he had forgotten too.

"His computer thing?" The captain questioned, finally dousing Stark's triumph.

"Why does everyone feel the need to tack that word on when technology is involved?"

Saved from those mocking brown eyes she could finally slide out and away from him. She tried not to look at anyone but couldn't help but see Banner staring at her. Her cheeks were annoyingly hot.

"However my learned friend is incorrect, it would seem our female Hawkeye is far easier to understand than we previously thought." Satisfaction lay thick in Stark's words and she imagined he looked like the cat that had gotten the cream.

Her wolf growled at the sickening shame and refused to let him get away with his trick. Aerla decided to do what she did best, cause mischief in the sweetest way she knew how. Nibbling her cheek, she turned to the table top that still showed the padlocked box and flourished a hand, refusing to meet any of their gazes. Letting her finger fall onto that one particular square, she whispered incomprehensibly. "Help me embarrass him, please."

Something that had developed far beyond a normal artificial intelligence and reminded her of her past came through for her pathetic plea. No red flared under her nail; instead the box seemed to shatter, exposing millions of files hidden within. Stark started to move so she jabbed at one file that was coloured in the tiniest amount of red and gold; _thank you, Jarvis._

Aerla copied the finger flaring gesture she had seen earlier and suddenly Stark's drunken face appeared on every reflective surface in the room. Incoherent singing and mumbled swear words from the overhead speakers had his eyes widening as he turned slowly to the largest screen.

She edged closer to him. "Give me Jarvis back, please."

"Done."

The video stopped immediately and Aerla retreated to the safest place in the room, behind the Captain, who watched her with a surprised grin. "I won't protect you from him, you know?"

"Yeah, you will, you can't resist. Help, he's seen me." She pretended to hide behind the man that radiated friendliness, even if she was actually a little terrified of Stark. The man was ruthlessly intelligent and she had no idea why his AI had helped her, but the inventor would ensure she paid for the prompt retaliation. However judging from the way Banner laughed kindly and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, she might be safe for now.

Stark watched her with eyes that promised retribution and she couldn't stop the guilty smile that rose to her lips. He might think he had her figured out but he had played his cards too soon, Aerla knew his game now, she wouldn't be fooled again. Still, she breathed a sigh of relief when he finally looked away. "What do you want, Cap?"

Steve lifted an arm to watch her peeking at Stark. "We're debriefing the newbie."

She looked up at him in surprise and stepped out to bring their heights closer together, he was only two inches taller than she in the end. "Me? Awesome."

Her wolf snapped at something to her side and Aerla muffled a squeak when Stark took one menacing step closer. Sardonic humour glinted in his eyes so she scowled at him and turned to Steve again. "Are we waiting on anyone else?"

"Yes, Clint and Natasha- Ah, here they are."

Shoulder blades itching she located the source as being the very dangerous-looking woman that prowled into the room. Black Widow, Natasha Romanov, SHIELD agent and assassin extraordinaire, was giving her the once over and murmuring something to Clint. If Aerla hadn't had a wolf's ears she might not have picked up the quiet 'bumping you off' and she saw the scathing smirk that Clint responded with.

Clint held out a steady palm so she gripped it. "Where's your suit?"

"I got one; I just prefer my own clothes for now, thanks though."

Stark's dry voice had her rolling her eyes. "We don't even know who she is, why is she here?"

"Maybe if you asked politely I would tell you." Aerla said as she exchanged wary nods with Romanov. The woman was something else, like daggers edged with poison that struck in the dark, it made Aela's wolf rumble aggressively. Aerla turned to see Banner watching her so she composed herself and smiled at Steve.

"Introductions are in order, I guess." He said.

Stark snorted. "She knows who we are."

"As it happens, I do, it's not as if you aren't all over the news lately." It was easy to avoid mentioning Phil and breaking her promise, New York was still in raptures over its superheroes and saviours.

Steve grimaced at the mention of publicity. "Well, SHIELD can't hide everything."

Aerla frowned, SHIELD were hiding other similar circumstances? That couldn't be right, she might not have paid much attention to America recently, but she would have noticed some menacing uprisings, surely.

Stark was typing on the counter she had vacated earlier, glancing at her occasionally. "Nothing wrong with a bit of publicity."

"For you, we all know how much the world loves Iron Man."

"Loves _Tony Stark_." He corrected Clint and the room seemed to collectively sigh in exasperation. It made Aerla want to laugh; the group seemed quite united considering the Avengers was a fairly new concept. Then again, fighting for your life tended to bring people closer together, she knew all about that, had visited enough graves which would forever hold a place in her heart.

Aerla spoke to distract herself from her memories, and to annoy Stark. "Not the whole world; Britain isn't that affected by pretty lights, we're more into our Norse mythology."

Banner smiled. "I imagine most of Europe prefers it."

Glowering at both of them, Stark continued to tap away at things she couldn't see but really wanted to. "Who are you then?"

"My name is Aerla, the rest doesn't matter."

"Doesn't it?"

"Nope, if Fury's okay with me being here, you should be too."

"I don't answer to SHIELD."

"And yet here you are." She smiled sweetly at him, remembering belatedly that she was already on his shit list without adding fuel to the vinegar fire.

Steve interrupted them both before it descended into madness. "SHIELD was created for a reason, to keep people safe, if you're here, you must be willing to stand alongside us."

Aerla frowned at him. "What are SHIELD keeping people safe from? The Chitauri were neutralised, Loki's all locked up, what's left?"

"The Chitauri were just the alien threat, we have underlying concerns closer to home."

"Seriously? Who?"

The captain suddenly looked tired. "Hydra."

The mood in the room soured and Aerla accessed her mental rolodex, trying to sift through memories. A human organisation using alien technology – and hadn't that surprised her – it had made itself known in Steve's time, had prompted the serum that would turn him into the superpowered man he was today. She wanted to grimace at the thought of the Tesseract, reminding her of the bitter scent in the armoury.

"I thought Hydra went up in ashy flames?" It was the only result that had soothed her anxiety, that everything alien had been destroyed. She had been cashing in on old favours to get to Germany when the explosive news had hit, Captain America had saved the day and disappeared.

"It's in the name." Stark muttered as he continued to type. "Cut off one head, two more take its place."

More mythology, but this time of Greek origin; at least that one wasn't real, she wasn't sure she could deal with two sets of overbearing gods fucking up her life.

"On the scale of kittens to alien-related death, how terrified should I be?" She asked in Stark's direction and noted with a pleased smile that Clint grinned at her.

"That depends," Stark rubbed an eye and finally looked up at Steve. "What do they have this time?"

"A new island."

Aerla turned back to Stark and tilted her head at him in a silent question. He shrugged. "About a five."

The tension lightened and then videos appeared on the walls, courtesy of Stark. Aerla noticed Romanov frown slightly but she was distracted by the grainy images of land and sea. "What am I looking at?"

Steve closed in on the largest screen. "They're still rebuilding, not a huge danger, but reports show movement on the shores."

"Do they have any dangerous toys?" She asked, still perturbed at the idea of secret disturbances.

Steve ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Not that we can see, but who knows? The Chitauri left a lot behind and SHIELD couldn't clear up everything, for all we know Hydra might have adapted some technology."

Aerla cursed silently, Loki brought the aliens here and was dragged away before he could pay for it. Someone should have made him and Thor help clean up; damned gods and their politics, always thinking they knew best.

"What else has been happening?" Curiosity got the better of her, curiosity and the urge to protect. Aerla didn't like the thought of evil little groups trying to dominate the planet, or whatever they wanted. These were dangerous times, Earth needed to band together and show a united front to whatever was out there, not bicker amongst themselves.

Steve looked over briefly, presumably wondering how much she knew. It was proving annoying not being able to mention Phil, and she berated herself for not paying closer attention to America. All of this had been happening under her nose and now she was at a disadvantage.

"There are one or two more who are proving a nuisance, but we aren't concerning ourselves with them."

That was a strange statement but it vibrated with finality, she was not to ask further questions. Her wolf didn't like being dismissed but Aerla kept her tongue in check because she was meant to be blending in, not causing waves.

Aerla fidgeted, everything she thought she knew was changing, and she didn't like it. She had assumed that being with SHIELD was a simple wait-out-the-clock scenario, but now it turned out that SHIELD were defending against attacks all of this time? "Why doesn't the rest of the world know about this?"

The videos switched off and Steve turned to her. "SHIELD works best behind the scenes, the world isn't ready to know there's more out there."

Aerla wanted to scoff at their supposed superiority, humans were hilariously stubborn. "Why form the Avengers then, why make a big song and dance about the invasion?"

"People need something to hide behind, they need motivation. We're the front men."

Stark's face darkened at Steve's words and she could only imagine he was thinking of Phil, but Clint spoke up before she could analyse it further. "For when the shit hits the fan."

Well that certainly explained why Fury had so readily accepted her into the ranks, apparently they were always fighting off threats. Admiration filled her at the thought of the secret battles that waged throughout time. She asked Romanov because she was SHIELD, and Steve was only an Avenger. "How long has this been going on for?"

"On and off since World War II."

Aerla whistled in amazement. She had been ignorant, so concerned with her homeland and watching for Norse whispers that she hadn't paid attention to across the pond. Admittedly she had never expected any Asgardian markers to appear in America, the landmass never even knew the Norse, no matter what Neil Gaiman said.

If she had known that Hydra hadn't crumbled under the captain's onslaught, would she have offered her services? Yes, she would have done, just as she was planning to do now. Magic might lace her veins but she still lived amongst humans, had pretended to be a normal one for so long. Aerla would defend the planet that had harboured her, defend it against anything that endangered it, for now.

"I'm in."

Steve and Banner smiled at her whilst Clint clapped her on the shoulder, his voice gravelly. "Good, because I've reset the range."

Something she had locked away long ago warmed at their reception, Aerla hadn't been around comrades for an age and her wolf was becoming content once again. She might choose to be a loner but she was a pack animal at heart, and her fellow archer was already making her smile.

Stark might serve to rub her fur the wrong way and Romanov made her hackles rise, but she was good at forging paths, and if she was able to get her blood pumping whilst she waited for Thor? That sat very well with her, she owed the planet a duty after all.

Steve dismissed them, telling them to be ready for when Hydra attacked. Aerla was surprised to see Clint and Romanov nod at him; they seemed content to take directions from the Avenger, despite being SHIELD agents. The captain did have a natural leadership about him; a loyalty originated one, very different from Fury's bullying. Aerla knew a lot about rulers and she knew very well that the latter type inspired nasty revolutions.

The former strode off with the two agents, presumably to update Fury on the situation, so she hovered in the control room. She was now uneasy around Stark and she didn't like it, didn't want to think that she needed to be on her guard around him. Romanov was one thing, the woman was a born killer, but the Avengers were a different kettle of fish, and her wolf wanted to trust them whilst she was here.

An enticing aroma of coffee floated through the air and she followed her nose to the tricky inventor, who was pouring a rather healthy amount of the stuff into a mug painted a familiar red. Aerla gave a frowning smirk at the sign of vanity and he scowled at her. "There's none for you."

She saw Bruce smile as he watched them askance; the doctor was relaxed so she assumed she wasn't going to be Iron Man'd any time soon. Aerla wrinkled her nose at the dark, bitter liquid. "It smells nice, but no thank you, I prefer tea."

Stark snorted. "You would."

She raised an eyebrow but ignored his jab at a British stereotype. It was strange seeing the billionaire with something so normal as a cup of coffee, she was used to him in a suit, metal or expensive cloth. Instead he was dressed in a Black Sabbath t-shirt and some jeans, clutching his kitsch collectible, and glaring at her, but there was no genuine hostility in his bearing.

Stark mutely passed a second cup in a similar colour to Banner who gave him an absent-minded smile. The two were really quite adorable in their strange but fitting friendship. It struck Aerla as quite funny that she was more cautious of Stark than the doctor who could crush her with one anger-induced green fist, but she knew first-hand that size did not always equal danger.

Banner was an exercise in control, he was always breathing steadily and holding himself still, it soothed her wolf to be near his calm energy. Stark on the other hand was a constantly buzzing storm, prone to electrical outbursts that stung or scared, even if he did look quite tame at the moment.

Holding his cup in one hand he swirled his hands at something on her vacated counter so she leaned forward to see, curiosity getting the better of her. A 3D image popped up into the air between them and she leaped back with a squeak whilst he laughed at her with his eyes.

She glared at him and fidgeted, trying to settle her fur as she surveyed the robotic type creature. "Is that one of Hydra's contraptions?"

He shook his head, mirth slightly creasing his cheeks. Aerla ignored his taunting air in favour of examining the new assailant. She raised her hand but halted before she touched the image, choosing to gain some favour before she touched without permission. Levelling an inquiring eyebrow at him he nodded once so she batted the 3D representation, sending it spinning in circles. The inventor of such amazing technology watched her as she tilted her head and flared her hand to stop it from turning.

Her hands made movements that she presumed Jarvis interpreted for her, and she expanded her gestures to focus on one of the robot's legs. She flicked its foot, lifting the image to show its underbelly. "The legs aren't even welded on, just focus on the connection and they should break, right?" Aerla looked up from her musing to find both men staring at her. "I play a lot of video games." She said by way of blushing explanation to Banner's enquiring smile.

Stark frowned and clenched his fingers, crushing the image. "It's not our fight."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Your analysis, although accurate, is unnecessary."

"Why do you have a picture of it then?" She almost snapped in reply.

"I like to know everything."

Her humour thoroughly diminished at his cagey and dismissive attitude she decided to quote at him. "It is perilous to study too deeply the arts of the Enemy, for good or for ill."

Banner blinked in surprise. "Tolkien?"

"No other." She replied, keeping an eye on Starks' scowl. Aerla enjoyed reading almost as much as she adored quoting things, but she didn't like how hot-and-cold Stark seemed to blow; at one moment he was teasing her and at the other he closed off.

"What business does a twenty-something have reading dusty Tolkien?"

Aerla arched a brow at Stark's deprecating tone. "You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Glow." A classic example stood in front of him, just because she looked young did not mean she actually was. As it happened, her library was chock-full of 'dusty' books, and none of them were as old as she was.

She wanted to swipe at his expressionless face, just to put an emotion on it. He wasn't giving anything away and she hated it, humans were meant to be easy to read, and to manipulate, but Stark was different. Before she could give in to the urge and do something risky, the overhead speakers clicked on and Steve's voice sounded.

"Stark, we need you on the outside, now."

The man didn't even reply, just drummed his fingers once on the counter and then stormed out of the room. Aerla turned to Banner and spread her hands. "What the hell?"

He sighed. "He doesn't like being up here, if Fury wasn't focusing on you, he'd be crowding Tony and trying to get him to make new weapons."

"What's wrong with that, that's his job, isn't it?"

"It was." Banner frowned, almost as if he was disappointed in her assessment. "A lot has happened since he became an Avenger."

Aerla didn't know how to react to his frown so she answered his words instead. "Understandable, he has other people to account to now, that's cloying, it sucks, but that doesn't warrant his dickish behaviour." She wasn't biting people's heads off, and she had far more pent up frustration than Stark did. He didn't have a creature living under his skin that hated everything about the steel cage that carried them. "_You're_ dealing with it."

He shrugged. "I don't like it much either, but I'm used to people watching me like I might explode any second, Tony's a lone wolf."

She snorted at the term, Stark had no idea about being alone, if he wanted to think he was a special snowflake, fine, but she knew better. "Stark needs to get over himself."

Banner raised a brow. "Do you know everything he went through?"

"Does he, or any of you, know what I have been through? No, it's the past, and I try not to let any of it affect the present."

"Then you're stronger than he is."

Aerla opened her mouth but closed it again. That was a dick move on Banner's behalf; he was implying that she should take Stark with a grain of salt because she had the mental upper hand. Whilst true, she had had far longer to come to terms with her problems, Aerla didn't agree with coddling. But did her long-lived state make her superior, and therefore mean she should be more tolerant of others less experienced?

She didn't know what to think, so she left to follow Stark, ignoring Banner's concerned eyes on her back. When had humans become so complicated?

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading, you lovely, wonderful people. I hope you smiled at the various references that littered Aela's narrative.

Obligatory Tumblr mention: WizzKizWonders - Come on by for chapter updates and various Loki/Who fangirling (and wouldn't that be a great pairing?).

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and powers, belong to me.


	5. Soldiers and Sojourns

**Author's Note:**

So many apologies for this unnaturally long gap in uploading, I have had the _worst_ cold over the last week and it's made my head all fuzzy.

Please enjoy; catch a glimpse of a different point of view for once, a remarkably snarky one (hint hint).

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE**

**Soldiers and Sojourns**

* * *

"Soldiers can sometimes make decisions that are smarter than the orders they've been given."

Orson Scott Card, _Ender's Game._

* * *

As it turned out, Stark was impossible to reach. Jarvis's suddenly clipped tones informed her that he was currently donning his Iron Man suit and flitting about outside the helicarrier.

It soured a newly exposed part of her that she seemed to have upset the AI and she imagined it was due to the argument that had transpired in the control room. The corridors were empty so she indulged the guilt-fuelled urge. "I'm sorry, Jarvis, I just don't like being spoken down to."

There was a brief pause before he responded, "No one does, ma'am."

She wondered whether the AI had the capabilities to understand what she was implying, that if she could treat a computer with more respect than Stark had shown her, something was wrong.

Aerla was only slightly surprised when he spoke again, "Turn left, ma'am, the Avengers tend to gather in the west hangar."

She smiled at the ceiling. "Thank you, Jarvis, you truly are amazing."

He didn't reply as she changed direction and walked through the opening door into a large, very windy room. The space was empty of machinery but the bay door was down, exposing her to the elements as dark, broody clouds drifted by.

Steve Rogers, patriotic hero triumphant, sat on a welded bench along one wall, polishing his iconic shield. Aerla walked past him to advertise her presence and to let the wind tear her hair from her braid. He didn't say anything, so neither did she, choosing instead to enjoy the whipping breeze.

It felt like an age since her feet had touched ground, first Phil's plane, and now this metal mansion. The brisk air had her wanting to run on her paws in a way she hadn't dared since she left Britain. Yes, she had shifted in scant breaths, once for Phil, and it had been painful to wear her human skin again.

Aerla wasn't used to living under such scrutiny and so in a way she could easily empathise with Stark. Banner's disappointment at her callous assessment of the inventor made her uncomfortable. PTSD was not a new concept to her, she had seen it occur more and more in recent centuries; each time humanity invented a new weapon the emotional fallout seemed to scale in aggression along with it.

The man behind her was an example of such a time. Although most of her knowledge of the Avengers came from SHIELD, she remembered Steve's story through telegrams and newspapers. Aerla wondered whether he thought himself the only person lost in the timeline, who remembered war, whether he still suffered explosion-studded dreams and woke up in a cold sweat. They would share the same grievances if he did, but she was long used to the overpowering fear that had her waking up with a cry in her throat.

A glowing blur of red and gold whizzed past, distracting her from morbid thoughts as she sighed, "Of course, he's a glow _fly_, well that figures."

"How so?" The captain asked as he continued his polishing.

"He's annoying and far too bright for his own good."

Steve paused to look at her. "That's something we can both agree on."

As he gave a surprised laugh she turned to him with wide eyes. "I'm more concerned than you are at that, Cap, trust me." The man with an apparent heart of beaten gold discomfited her a little, he was too much a strait-laced solider, so content with following orders.

Steve smiled, oblivious to her thoughts, and returned to his task. His face was still warm with humour and she took a moment to appreciate him. He had one of those faces that always seemed on the edge of a smile, inherently youthful. Only balanced with his eyes out of time and according to Phil's crew, abs you could bounce nickels off of. Aerla could never remember which one the nickel was, but then she was sure that it wouldn't matter if the experiment ever came to fruition, _which it never would._

He stopped his cleaning and looked up self-consciously. "Yes?"

Aerla grinned at him, pleased with this shy side of his law-abiding nature, _he__ was just too adorable_. "Nothing, I think it's shiny enough now though."

He ducked his head as embarrassment coloured his voice. "It gives me something to do when people are hovering."

That startled a laugh out of her. "Oops, I thought you were just preparing in case Stark needed a mirror." She curtsied low. "My apologies, sir."

He raised an eyebrow. "You need skirts to do that, and it's Captain."

Aerla poked her tongue out at him, acting the age she looked rather than the age she was for once. "Don't push it."

He laughed and she realised how easily he inspired confidence and loyalty. Howard Stark could not have used the serum on a better man, now Steve's bravery was boosted with muscles and a shield made of a metal she had never encountered before.

An eerie cawing noise had his face falling and she followed his gaze. Stark buzzed past once more but this time he was followed by a haze of darkness.

"What- What is Stark doing out there?" She asked haltingly.

Steve sighed and rose to stand at the doorway with her. "They came through with the Chitauri, we think."

"They're aliens?" Aerla was aghast, her wolf eyes picking out deadly claws and beaks amongst the fluttering of wings.

"Well they aren't from Earth; small groups appear every now and again and go after the helicarrier with single-minded purpose."

"What are they?"

"We don't know; they only attack when we're in flight so Stark's the only one who can reach them."

"There's something you're not telling me." Aerla murmured as she watched the Iron Man suit burst with power, blasting the small but sharp assailants.

Steve clenched his jaw and seemed to force the next words out, "They completely combust when they're killed, not a feather remains… But Fury wants one."

Aerla went cold; Fury was advocating maiming a creature so that they could examine it in its death throes. Steve was a terse statue at her side, whether in agreement or disgust, she wasn't sure, but Aerla knew she hated the idea. _Torturing an animal for its secrets was wrong, regardless of their origins._ "Has Stark tried?"

"They always end up blitzed when he's involved." Steve replied neutrally.

She wondered whether he was killing them on purpose or not; Stark was a scientist, a self-proclaimed knowledge fiend, would he agree with Fury's methods? He zoomed past once more and her eyes locked on one trailing alien bird, its wings not flapping in sync.

They both tensed at the same time but Aerla had already drawn her bow and notched an arrow, sending it straight into the eye of the injured thing. It puffed into a cloud of dust that whisked away on the wind. Her arms fell to her sides and she looked at Steve, prepared to defend her right to the death if she had to, but instead he gave one commanding nod.

An old part of her preened under a superior's examination, but a larger part of her was immensely pleased that Steve was not following all of his orders. She had been right; the Avengers were not as entwined with SHIELD as Fury might hope. _Good_, because the director was swiftly dropping in her eyes.

"Why a bow?" He asked suddenly.

She glanced at him before returning her gaze to the slowly diminishing flock of birds. "It's quiet, beautiful, and it reminds me of my home."

Steve was silent as he mulled over her words so she took the opportunity to shoot another two of Stark's dogged admirers.

"Is your home quiet and beautiful?"

Aerla sighed wistfully, the scenes before her eyes far harsher than the ones in her mind. "Yes, if you were to stand in the front door you would hear nothing but the susurration of trees, and each season is more stunning than the last."

"That sounds peaceful."

There was something very tired in his voice so she gave him a tiny frown; first Stark with his tame and damaged coffee clutching, _and now heroic Steve was tired?_ "It is, maybe I'll show you if the Avengers ever get a holiday."

A small smile lifted his lips, only slightly erasing the weariness in his eyes. Aerla barely knew him but she knew what exhaustion looked like, it constantly lurked in her awareness. She wanted to erase it from Steve's face though because he was far too young to be so weary. "Maybe you should book one when you renew your contract with Fury."

He chuckled then, making her smile. "I'll take you up on that offer if I manage it."

"Anytime." She found herself saying, despite having guarded her home for the past millennium. _It would never happen_, because she was not long for this world. Steve rested one hand on her shoulder and then walked away, so she shot three more birds. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him; he was still a soldier at heart after all.

Jarvis warned her that someone was approaching the hangar so she threaded her bow back into her quiver. Steve looked at her strangely so she nodded at the opening door as Clint stepped through with a frown on his face. _Had SHIELD seen the disposal of Fury's test subjects?_

"Wondered where you'd got to; Stark doing okay?"

She shared a relieved glance with Steve, automatically asking his opinion on the question. He was the leader here, no matter that she was more than twenty times his age. Steve quirked an eyebrow, seeming to ask what she thought of her fellow archer. Clint seemed a good guy, but he was a SHIELD agent, answered to Fury. _Then again, so should Steve._

"He's thinning the herd." She said and Clint grunted as he stood next to her. "What do you think of them?"

Aerla sensed Steve's surprise at her blatant fish for information, but she was the newcomer still, could get away with questions the rest of them couldn't. She wanted to know what Clint's stance was, because she liked him, didn't want to think he was a true minion.

"I think they're aliens and they don't belong here." He replied harshly.

It was the third time today that she had heard such fatigue, this time it was vehement and bitter, the tone of someone who had experienced alien magic. Her wolf snarled at the implications, humans should not have been exposed to such threats; they were fledglings, unprepared and defenceless against magic and alien firepower.

She had to admit that they were stronger than they seemed, the Avengers were proof of that, but was it worth Stark's flinches, Steve's lassitude, and Clint's haunted eyes? _No, it wasn't_, and it evoked the tendril of protectiveness that had reared its head when she had learnt about SHIELD's on-going battles.

None of this was supposed to happen, she hadn't planned on empathising with the Avengers, and the Avengers should never have had to defend their planet. But if they hadn't, she wouldn't be one step closer to finding out about her heritage. She wanted to snap at the god that had abandoned Earth so long ago and left them to fight enemies they shouldn't have encountered for millennia.

"You okay?"

Aerla blinked away the difficult thoughts to see Clint's frown and Steve's concerned approach on her left. They had no idea what she was, that she had powers they despised and didn't understand, and yet they ignored their own anxieties to check on her?

This was why she would help the Avengers, why she could put off her quest until push came to shove. Because humans, for all their faults, stubbornness, and small-dog syndrome, were ultimately persistent and self-sacrificing, they understood that a weak link just meant you needed to shore up the defences, not break the chain. "Yeah, thanks, I just wish I had wings."

They both smiled through their tiredness and Steve stepped a little closer to the open door. "We all have weaknesses."

It was a damning statement and only served to encourage her decision to help them. She might not know anything about the magic she was born with, but she knew how to track it. If something of its kind threatened Earth whilst she was there, she would find a way to destroy it, because she was a human too, in the beginning.

* * *

Tony grumbled when another set of claws screeched along his leg plate. He twisted to blast it off and righted himself before he could watch it explode into dust. There were less in the pack than there had been a few minutes ago._  
_

As long as Fury wasn't capturing them, Tony was happy, because he'd be damned if he let SHIELD capture anymore creatures. Bruce hid it well, but he could tell that his friend was getting twitchy. They had been so close to telling Fury to screw himself but then HYDRA had shown up. Loki had been gone for two whole weeks and yet they were still trapped on the helicarrier; _this should be SHIELD's job, not mine._

He turned and sent a few more birds to whatever Hell aliens came from. There were definitely less. "Jarvis, rearrange the thrusters so I can fly backwards."

"Yes, sir."

Tony tried to concentrate on the flurry of feathers by his feet but hearing his AI talk just reminded him of the kid that had stolen his ear piece. The only reason he had let it go was because Bruce had pointed out how young she was and laughed at his anger. _What was Fury thinking letting her on board?_ He had enjoyed messing with her, her reaction proving that she couldn't handle him and therefore didn't belong. If he tried that shit with Natasha she threatened to castrate him, it was what made her so attractive.

He jerked to the side when dust exploded in front of him, he hadn't caused it. "Jarvis-"

"It would appear that someone is aiding you from the hangar, sir."

Frowning, he flipped the thrusters back around and pulled his pursuers back towards the open bay door. Two figures stood at the edge, one in an annoyingly familiar star-studded outfit, and the other a blonde mystery. He heard two more bursts from behind him and focused his sights on a wooden bow that fell to her side.

The kid was helping him. With grudging admiration he realised that she was a good shot too, he was moving pretty fast. He wondered whether Cap had told her about Fury's missive, presumably not if she was shooting to kill right next to him. His father's experiment was good to the bone, would probably hold fire in his bare hands if Fury asked him to.

"How many left, Jarvis?"

"A dozen, sir."

Tony flared his palms to take out another two and activated some rockets to dispose of a few more. He might hate being called upon to help out on such mundane matters, but at least it gave him a chance to get away, and it stopped Fury from bitching at him to make Tesseract weapons.

Really, what was he still doing there? He had things to do, Pepper to get back to; he should just pack Jarvis and his suits up and leave. Stark Industries didn't need him but he had projects to work on, his arc reactor to improve. Pepper still hadn't forgiven him for taking the nuke through the portal, but at least his being with SHIELD kept her from booking him to appear at boring parties. She was vindictive that way.

He aimed a hand at an approaching creature but it puffed away before he could focus on it, the kid was still helping him then. Two more of her arrows found their marks and he finished the stragglers off with a multi-burst laser. Tony sighed, he didn't want to go back in just yet, he was enjoying the faux-freedom he felt at being outside. He managed to waste another five minutes before Jarvis reprimanded him.

"Sir?"

"Yeah, I know, I'm going."

Only Steve was in the hangar when he touched down and Jarvis closed the door behind him. Cap didn't notice, not many people did, but Aerla had picked up on his AI as soon as she encountered him. She was surprisingly perceptive but seemed to have formed an attachment to Jarvis, it would keep his infiltration a secret for a bit longer at least.

"Any survivors?" Cap asked as he opened his helmet up.

"No." Tony frowned, they had both been watching him, and Steve must have seen the intent in his shots. He didn't bother hiding it anymore, no one else could obliterate as many of the birds as he could, SHIELD needed him.

"Unfortunate." Was that a smile on Cap's face? What had Aerla and he been talking about for the soldier to finally disobey Fury?

Tony shrugged, not wanting to think about it, they could all screw themselves until he had taken a long, well-deserved holiday. Cap clapped him on the shoulder and walked away, leaving Tony staring after him. _What the fuck had just happened?_ Steve never did that to him; Tony had cultivated a 'back-the-fuck-off' aura a long time ago.

Still frowning, he activated the hangar's wall compartment and had Jarvis take off his suit. It needed fixing up and repainting, but it would have to wait until he was back in Stark tower. When the wall slotted back into place again he checked on Jarvis's power core. It was hidden safely behind layers of metal and glass, protected by his suit and various levels of screening.

He headed back to the control room, content that everything was in place. Jarvis was slowly permeating every single aspect of the ship; soon everything SHIELD knew, Tony would know too. It was the one thing that was keeping him on board.

"Everything go okay?"

Bruce's concern was palpable and it made Tony want to roll his eyes as he drawled in response. "Yes, dear."

The room was empty but for the two of them, just the way he liked it. Bruce was the only one he could stomach for an extended amount of time, and that was only because they understood each other, and his fellow scientist was quiet. Well, quiet when he wasn't a huge green rage monster, and he still wanted to analyse that.

Making a beeline for his coffee maker he saw that a fresh batch had been made, two mugs already set up next to it. He called over his shoulder, "Thanks for the coffee."

"Aerla made it."

Tony paused with his lips on the rim but decided that Bruce wouldn't let her poison him. He took a tentative sip as he rummaged in the cupboard and found that she made decent coffee for a Brit.

Where the hell was his spare mug?

* * *

Aerla decided that red wasn't a terrible colour; it was quite bright and encouraging in comparison to the grey walls. It was almost as enthusing as the fresh bite of hot tea that she was savouring in her new favourite mug.

"How do you make such a great cup of tea, Jarvis?"

"It is a science, ma'am."

She laughed out loud, delighted with the almost pleased note in his voice. "You have perfected it then, because this is glorious."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Smiling, she tipped her head back against her bed's headboard; today had been a good day. She had been given important information, not a lot, but enough to convince her that coming to SHIELD was more than just a useful move towards the stars. Meeting Jarvis was one of the most fascinating things she had experienced in a long time, especially when she could swear she could hear emotion in the AI's voice.

Even Stark couldn't sour her happy mood, with his grumpy attitude and mocking glints in his eyes. The inventor was a cocky bastard, but he was intelligent enough to warrant some of it, and he _was_ killing the alien birds. Although he seemed healthy enough, there didn't seem to be a reason for Banner to pull the mental trauma card.

Aerla tilted her head at the ceiling, wondering whether Jarvis would talk about his creator. The questions were on the tip of her tongue but something held her back, because she felt as if she would disappoint the AI if she asked. It was madness, she knew that, he was a computer program, but still she couldn't bring herself to inquire.

Thinking about her day made her realise that it had been over twenty-four hours since she had last eaten. Hunger had never been a driving force in her life, a fact she was grateful for because she would have perished a lot earlier if it had been. Food was remarkably hard to come by when you were being hunted.

It would seem strange if she didn't eat something soon though, so she roused herself, smiling at the mug in her hand. Aerla wondered whether Stark had even noticed her theft yet, or whether he was plotting her demise at that very moment. She hadn't been able to help herself when she had returned to the control room to collect her forgotten suit.

Banner had smiled at her when she entered so she stayed to update him. The doctor had given almost nothing away when she said the wave had been eliminated, but she had seen the minute relaxation in his shoulders. He would understand why she had done it, because he harboured something that interested SHIELD too.

Aerla was secretly fascinated by the man and wanted to see his other half. Phil had said that Banner couldn't control it, that a stray emotion could cause him to change. She knew what that felt like, but she had learnt control eventually, maybe he had as well. That didn't mean she was going to reveal her secret any time soon, Banner had smarts and Stark to back him up, Aerla would have to run for the valleys.

Banner had been telling her about why the helicarrier's defences didn't work against the tiny birds and she had spied the now cold coffee on the counter where she had left her suit. Remembering what had transpired at that exact spot, she had decided to engage in a little mischief. Besides, she would need a cup if she was to hang around, so she might as well carry on stealing Stark's stuff. Hilariously, Jarvis chided her.

"Are you going to return Mr Stark's mug now that you are finished with it, ma'am?"

"Nope." She replied as she idly stroked her ear piece; it was a strange presence in her ear, but not unpleasant. "Do you think he'll mind?"

"It is hard to say, Mr Stark does not often have his things taken from him."

"Then it's time he learnt." She smiled at the silence that followed, wanted to think that she just couldn't hear the 'indeed' she imagined the AI would say.

Before she had come to SHIELD, she had thought that whilst she didn't know everything, she knew quite a lot. The Avengers were proving her incredibly wrong, and she was actually enjoying it. They hadn't quite shaken centuries of ennui, but they had certainly opened her eyes to a world she thought she had been tiring of.

She would be leaving Earth in good hands once she had corralled an errant god - whenever he decided to show up.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Huzzah, I hope you enjoyed chapter five!

Necessary Tumblr mention: WizzKizWonders - Which I have also been remarkably lax on updating actually, but that will change once I'm feeling better.

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and abilities, all belong to me.


	6. Bets and Bettas

**Author's Note:**

The flu and I have finally ended our battle. I am pleased to report that I was successful, but still offer my humblest of apologies for taking so long to update! I've been working furiously on the 'this day's' collection of chapters and I like to flesh out a section before publishing the beginning.

Enjoy!

* * *

**CHAPTER SIX**

**Bets and Bettas**

* * *

"Do you think it will truly come to battle between them? If they should come to some accord—"

"They won't," Tyrion said. "They are too different and yet too much alike, and neither could ever stomach the other."

- George R. R. Martin, _A Clash of Kings_

* * *

Aerla hit the floor on her hands and knees and bit back a curse. It had been so long since she hadn't slept in her four-poster that she had rolled straight out of her new tiny bed. Cold metal and the faint rumble of motors met her sleepy senses and she grumbled into the silence.

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

Her wolf sprang at the invisible voice but Aerla felt immensely soothed at hearing the calming tone. "Fine, thank you, Jarvis."

Change was something someone with a millennium under her belt started to ignore after a while, and the blossoming bruises on her palms were testament to that. She sat back on her calves and resisted the urge to lick the pain. It was becoming so very difficult not to shift, especially when cramps creased her arms and she could see the dawn out of her window.

If she had been at home she would have escaped over her balcony and trotted through the dew, half-heartedly chased a rabbit before racing a horse back to the house. Instead she was in a box of a room with cameras and sensors so high-tech that if her heart skipped a beat they would probably notice.

"Would you like me to make you a cup of tea, ma'am?"

"Jarvis, you are amazing, yes please." Aerla ran a hand through her ruffled hair and cast about for the tie; there was no point in going back to sleep now, even if it was far too early. She strolled to the window and threaded her hair into a French plait, pulling the strands tight as she drooled over the thought of hot tea.

Halfway through the knot she frowned at the sun-streaked clouds, regarded a strange flicker on the horizon, something dark and fuzzy that may or may not have been growing larger. Her nose bumped the cold glass. "Jarvis, what's that?"

"What is what, ma'am?"

"That hazy smudge out of my window, nor'eastern. Are there any planes nearby?"

"There are none currently in our airspace."

If she hadn't been so troubled by the possibilities, she would have been impressed at how proficient Jarvis was. _Was Stark in the satellites, too?_ "Keep a weather eye, Jarvis, but I'll take that tea if it's alright with you, I like to start the day right."

"Of course, ma'am."

Aerla gave the disconcerting speck one last look before retrieving the red mug and warming her fingers with it. The smell was just perfect enough to remind her of home and she closed her eyes against the sickness. _It had been so long…_

"Finish your tea whilst you can, ma'am."

"Crap." She sipped her tea and moved back to the swiftly lighting glass, shading her eyes against the dawn to see the black dot had grown into a blur. The taste on her tongue was pleasant, but concern overshadowed it. "Is it the birds?"

"It appears so, more than usual."

"Have you told Stark?"

"I am doing so, ma'am."

She hummed in assent and watched the clouds with a puckered brow. Stark was good at what he did, but there was no reason she couldn't help him out. She shouldered her quiver with one hand and continued to drink with the other. Nothing would get between Aerla and her morning tea, especially not a horde of creepy alien birds.

"Jarvis, can you patch me through to Clint, please?" She drained her cup in the silence before hearing a click and then a very grumpy grunt. "Rise and shine, I need a hand."

"What do you need?"

"Bring your bow to the hangar; tell no one, this message will combust in three seconds."

"You're such a lose-"

Aerla clicked her ear piece and snickered; there was no need for her and Stark to be the only ones up at this ungodly hour. Her door opened as she faced it and she murmured a thank you to Jarvis. The corridors were mostly empty but the night crew were still active in the bridge as she passed through, a few of them even nodding at her.

The bay door was already open when she stepped into the hangar and saw the back of the Iron Man suit. Stark turned and hesitated briefly when he saw her so she brandished her bow to indicate he wouldn't be on his own today. He nodded once and then he was gone in a blur of red and gold, her breath catching when he stepped into the open air.

Aerla had long life and regeneration, but she couldn't fly. She was earth- and Earth- bound, each a decidedly cruel reminder of the other. As a youngster she had dreamed of wings, feathers instead of fur, and then technology had advanced enough to put even regular humans in the sky.

The toes of her boots reached the very edge of the hangar and she regarded a cloudy descent that would definitely kill her. It wasn't often she was confronted with that fact, and it was only mildly terrifying now. The rushing vertigo tinged with fear ebbed when she felt familiar movement at her back. "Sleep well?"

"I will push you out if you're fucking chirpy."

The grouchy archer came to stand at her side, his hair was scruffy and he blinked tiredly at her. If she hadn't woken up by almost face-flooring, she would probably react the same way; she thought the dawn was pretty, but dusk was better. "You can't set me up for bird jokes like that."

Humour gleamed through his weariness and made his eyes crinkle. "Just try it, you'll find your wings sooner than I will."

Aerla laughed and let contentment settle in her stomach. She might be about to take pot-shots at aliens, but she had woken up to hot tea and a new day, and was readying her arrows with a comrade by her side. It wasn't often enough that she had days like these.

Clint snapped his compound easily into place right in front of her and peered over with a smug smile. She levelled an unamused look at him and took her time limbering her own bow. "You are such an ass."

"I came all the way here for you, and you call me nasty names?"

"You deserve it, Cupcake." She said with a smile as she notched an arrow and followed Stark's figure-of-eight. His suit was bright against the clouds and reflected the dawning light as he waited for the birds to arrive. Aerla speculated what would have happened if she hadn't seen them coming, would he have fallen out of bed to defend the carrier and no one else would have noticed? _That seemed a bit unfair_. "Heads up."

The first bird came soaring around the corner and she felt Clint's good humour drop. Aerla could have predicted that, but then something salty and bitter – fear – eked out from him and she remembered what he had gone through. _Loki had ridden his mind and the Chitauri had almost levelled New York. _Perhaps exposing another set of aliens to Clint was not such a good idea, after all.

She nudged his shoulder with hers. "Challenge?"

Whether it was the physical contact or the joke, maybe both, he lightened and took a steadying breath. "You're on."

_Good man._ "What's your stake, Cake?"

"I have alcohol, you?"

"Alcohol is acceptable." She released the first arrow, sending the lead bird into the abyss. Grinning when Clint grimaced and quickly took aim, she downed a second and watched Stark herd the rest. Something sizzling left his suit and burst the throng, causing Clint to curse as he lost his target.

"Do you think that counts as one?" Aerla muttered to her side but then her ear piece clicked and Stark spoke.

"It's no oliphaunt, I'm counting it as at least seven."

She barked a laugh and considered how long he had been listening for. "You're not involved, you have explosives and everything."

"Jealous?"

She was getting tired of that word. "No, you're the short one; we'll just toss you off board."

Clint chuckled. "You have a beard and everything, Stark, it's perfect."

"I guess that means you can't be Legolas anymore, Barton."

Aerla was pleased at Stark's observation and gave a little bow to Clint's pout. "Aragorn could use a bow, Cupcake, don't be sad."

Stark's offended reply declared before Clint could respond. "Er, I'm the lone ranger, here."

She snorted at the self-obsessed observation; Stark _would_ see himself as the rightful king. "I don't know, Glow; a red suit, a lot of fire power, and hoards of cash… Hey, you can be Smaug."

They both smirked and Stark sounded through her ear piece. "I am surprisingly alright with that."

"You would be." She finished off an injured bird; not risking anything else when there had been so many fluttering around. Only one remained but it didn't flee against their onslaught, commendable but stupid. "Race."

Clint's bow twanged a mere millisecond after hers and Stark slammed on his brakes to aim a blast at the last angry alien. Their arrows disappeared in an arc reactor-fuelled glow and only ashes signalled the target's demise.

"Mine." She called out and dodged Clint's responding push. Laughing as she threaded her bow back into her quiver, she pulled him stumbling back against her when Stark landed right next to them.

His helmet flicked back and she finally saw him in his suit for the first time, she found it strange to see his face surrounded by the red metal after seeing him out of it.

"Yeah, right." He said as he walked past a bristling Clint. There was some animosity in the air between them but she couldn't pinpoint the reason; _Stark had flown in rather close when he landed but had he done it on purpose?_ Aerla wouldn't put it past the arrogant man to try and annoy her fellow archer, the question was why.

"Nice work, boys." She pointed a finger at Clint. "You owe me alcohol."

"Fine, I'll go get it."

He threw one last glare at Stark and then stomped off, so she called after him. "I'll be in the control room."

"Will you?" Stark enquired without looking at her as he touched the hangar side.

"It seems to be the place-" She halted when the entire wall parted to reveal an empty glass enclosure and numerous metal arms. _Holy Hell_, she knew Stark had Jarvis on board, but this was beyond her. Robotic limbs reached out to pluck and unscrew the metal parts, pulling them back into the wall and forming the suit within the glass. "Is Jarvis doing that?"

"Yeah."

"Jarvis, you are so amazing."

"Thank you, ma'am." The voice responded from an overhead speaker and Stark raised an eyebrow at her. When the final piece was removed he stretched out his arms and turned back to her, but she was still staring at his suit.

"How quickly can you get it back on?" She wondered how much time he wasted by placing each bit individually. Jarvis had been fast, but not rampaging-aliens-we're-all-about-die fast. What if Stark was in a different part of the ship and all the doors were locked, _could he get all of the way here in time?_

"I have my ways." He hinted slyly and stepped in front of her vision as the wall closed up behind him. Aerla scowled, wanting to see more, and a glint of humour lit his eyes.

She fixed the cocky man with an enquiring stare. "Does Fury know you're messing with his ship?"

He answered her question when the glint disappeared and his stubbled jaw set. "You planning on telling him?"

"Nope, Jarvis and I get on, just curious."

His forehead jerked and then he relaxed. He still seemed tired, but appeared to be more intrigued than anything else. It didn't bother her that he was up to mischief, _Hell, SHIELD needed a bit of a shake-up at this rate_. Besides, she liked Jarvis, he was useful and amazing and he fascinated her, she didn't want to get rid of him any time soon.

Stark was still staring so she deliberately shifted impatiently towards the door. When he moved, so did she, and they strode in silence to the control room. Banner was working inside and did a double-take when he saw the two of them together.

She was just as surprised that they weren't at each other's throats yet. "Morning, doc. You're up early."

"As are you, I don't normally see anyone for a few hours yet."

His confusion confirmed a theory; no one else on the ship knew what Stark was up to. It didn't sit right with her that one of their own was out defending them and they didn't even notice. What sort of an operation were SHIELD running where they couldn't even see- _Wait_, was Jarvis doing that? Was Stark deliberately blocking the sensors so no one would see?

Aerla wasn't sure whether to admire his tenacity or punch him for being a self-sacrificing idiot. If he wanted to flit about SHIELD's mainframes, fair enough, she figured they probably owed him, but keeping such a tight rein on the information was foolish. Stark wasn't the type to ask for help, so if something went wrong, would anyone know?

She absent-mindedly wandered over to the closest counter and it turned out to be the one she had sat on before. _I like this one, it's familiar now._ Hopping up onto it revealed the two scientists staring at her. "What?"

Stark didn't seem affected by her question but Banner hedged, "Would you like a drink?" He acted uneasy, as if he wasn't sure how to deal with her being there. Was she the first person that had happily infiltrated their calm little space? She rather liked that.

Aerla brightened and braced her hands behind her. "I would love one."

"Where's your mug?" Stark asked and she replied without thinking.

"In my room-" She stopped as the word was halfway out of her mouth and looked guiltily at him. His lip twitched and one brow raised as Banner snorted at her expression.

"Would you like tea, ma'am?"

"Yes, please, Jarvis." Aerla said quickly, grateful for the reprieve as she scooted off the counter to fetch the wayward mug. She almost bumped into Clint in her rush out of the door and they reflexively sidestepped each other. "Apologies."

"It's fine, here's your winnings."

"Thanks, Cupcake, we'll break it-" Something skyward and far away itched her magic and she broke off with her hand wrapped around the bottle. Her head tilted to the side and she listened to her wolf's warning growl. Clint faded out of view and she marched back into the control room. "Jarvis, can you show me the view out of my window, please?"

The three men stiffened. Banner shared a significant glance with Stark who shrugged, but Clint frowned at how quickly the screens appeared. She ignored them because her magic had never reacted that way before, not in such a wary prickling. Closing in on the screen as Clint and Stark flanked her sides, they all stared intently at the picture of sunny clouds.

"What can you see?" Clint queried as he crossed his arms.

"There's nothing there." Stark stated and sauntered away. Teeth snapped under her skin, agitated at the itch and angry at the dismissal.

Aerla scoured the screen, mentally conversing with her magic and trying to identify the sensation. A black dot finally came into view and she reached back to pull Clint's ridiculously large bicep closer. "What do your hawk eyes see?"

"The same thing you saw this morning?"

"Yes, but you need to identify it for yourself if I'm not around." _When_ I'm not around, she thought, and that was okay because Hawkeye was almost as good as she was. Clint had accepted her hunch when Stark hadn't, had trusted her judgement when he knew nothing about her; they were of a similar breed after all, he must have seen that too.

Banner came to squint next to her. "I can't see anything."

"Archers' eyes." They both murmured in reply and shared an amused smile. Aerla jolted when the discomfort irritated her magic again but waited for Clint to point at the speck. Later someone would realise that she had sought the camera out before the threat was even visible, for now she needed to know what the hell was bothering her so much.

"Do I have time for a coffee?" Stark sounded so bored that she wanted to throw something at him, possibly a sharp something if there was one to hand.

"No." Aerla replied quietly, hiding a flinch as the feeling increased. "This is going to take more than just you, Glow."

Clint clicked his neck. "You think there's more?"

Paws scratched at the itch beneath her skin, trying to alleviate the annoying presence. It was not something she recognised but it made her think of feathers and space rock. Interest became a tiny rush of excitement, she might be indifferent to change but learning something new was always enthralling. Magic ran in her veins and the opportunity to discover more about it outshone any potential danger.

Aerla's wolf rolled against the strange presence to analyse it. There was nothing cultivated about it, there was no intelligence or anything remotely humanoid about it. It didn't entice her like the lingering starlight did, it was foreign. She hadn't felt anything with the other packs; if it was the alien birds, something was different about them. "Yes."

Clint nodded at her and left the room, all seriousness and SHIELD agent, appreciating her knowledge for all he thought it was guesswork. This trust was what she had missed by closing herself off from humans, but it was dangerous. She didn't know any of them, and they didn't know her, and friendships were always a risk; she needed to remember that, _because things were different now._

Banner sought her confirmation on the dot's advancement but Stark changed the screen before they could inspect it, suddenly seeing through a new camera that showed the helicarrier from above. Aerla tilted her head at the picture. "Is this satellite?"

"Maybe." Stark glinted when she narrowed her eyes at him.

She still wanted to throw something at him but he seemed to be in a good mood, so Aerla mimicked his teasing attitude. "Come on then, boy wonder, show me some skills."

"You couldn't handle my skills."

"I've handled wild animals," She prowled over to where his hands were whirling above the counter. "You're just a kitten."

He looked up and almost smirked. "Roar."

_Stark was quite funny when he wasn't being an ass,_ and she found she quite enjoyed trying to shake his cool façade. She followed his gaze to the table top where flurries of movement and blue lines confused her until she wrapped her head around what he was doing. "You're patching in to other cameras to get a better view?"

She didn't hold back how impressed she was, Stark was a wizard and Jarvis, his magic. She could sense his smugness, _arrogant man_, but then he abruptly stared over her shoulder. "Whoa, that's big."

She turned to see a grainy picture covering one wall, a still that showed a horde of the alien birds surrounding a far larger one. Well, it made sense as to why her magic reacted so strongly, that thing was huge. Aerla stalked towards the screen and brought a hand up to encourage it to move. Jarvis must have interpreted because it began to shift, a wingspan that was at least twice her size flapped amongst its swarm. "At least we know more about them."

Banner stood next to her again. "What do you mean?"

"They must be nesting somewhere, breeding, and that is an older one. May I have a size comparison, Jarvis?"

The largest bird was isolated and placed on a white background next to a silhouette of a person. In comparison the thing was half the size taller but ten-times the width. The shadowed figure however was feminine and had a quiver on its back; it was her. "Wow, I feel really short. Quick, Glow, come over here so I feel better."

Banner smiled and Aerla glanced over her shoulder to see the glowering inventor fiddling with his technology. The bird moved off to the side and a second silhouette appeared next to hers, it was masculine and a good inch or two shorter. Aerla was about to laugh but then it squared off and grew taller. "Wearing your suit doesn't count, that's cheating."

"It's called firepower."

"It's called compensating, actually." She drawled as Clint walked back into the room with the Black Widow in tow. Aerla rolled her eyes at the former and nodded at the latter. Romanov still served to make her uncomfortable, but with an alien itching her magic and Clint by her side, Aerla could ignore it. The woman stood on his left and it made her idly question how close the two were, they were comrades in arms and emotions were always high on the battlefield.

"They make pills for that now, Stark." Clint taunted as he returned to Aerla's flank and observed the screen. She watched the two agents examine the information as Stark's silhouette disappeared with amusing swiftness. Romanov studied weak points on the bird's anatomy whilst Clint scanned his quiver. They suited each other, both deadly and driven, but where she would already trust one at her back, the other was too reminiscent of her nickname.

Steve appeared in the doorway, freshly showered but not in his suit. He must have already been up because Stark was the only one that still seemed tired. "What are we dealing with?"

Clint and Banner turned to her so she stepped back and shook her head. Aerla might know the exact direction the threat was coming from but she didn't want to lead, not when her magic was still a secret. There was an eager creature in her chest, wanting to chase and tear into feathered flesh, champing at the bit for being captive for so long.

Stark saved her from the silence. "They're bigger than before, that one's the size of a sedan."

"Too big?" Steve asked carefully, wary of offending him.

Aerla winced, Stark would never admit to that. "It's not worth the risk to the helicarrier." She remarked as she went back to the counter. "Can you lead them somewhere else, Glow, where we can get at them?"

He watched her for a second and then nodded. She speculated if he paused because she knew about Jarvis, or maybe he could tell that Aerla didn't give a shit about the helicarrier. She'd _ride_ one of the damn aliens if it kept Stark from going against them alone.

Clint conferred with Romanov and then looked over at them. "If you can take them down to the ground, we'll follow."

Aerla immediately understood that the female agent was the senior of the two. Assassin's eyes locked with hers and a Russian accent made everything sound lethal. "We can take the quinjet."

Something very treacherous whispered in those cold blue orbs and Aerla instinctively matched stare for stare. Aerla wasn't intimidated; she had been born in the shadows of a fat-fuelled fire, a bloodied hunter that roamed the night. There might be something ancient in the art Romanov used so well, but Aerla _was_ ancient, and she gloried in it when her wolf stood her ground with a toothy smile.

Steve marched obliviously in between them and it broke the perilous tension, allowing Aerla to turn her grin on Stark's raised eyebrow. He had noticed the interaction and it made her want to laugh, because he had stopped regarding her like she was defenceless. Had he thought she would look away first and offer her throat to the assassin?

Romanov might be poison, but Aerla was the blade, and not one thing on this helicarrier could track her if she didn't want it to. She took a step towards Stark and showed more teeth, letting her predator nature peek through for the first time in weeks. "Suit up, Glow. There are monsters afoot."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So begins a long and possibly fraught day for Aerla and the Avengers, and hoo boy, things are starting to heat up! Thank you for reading, please review and ask questions if you wish, either here or on my Tumblr (WizzKizWonders).

In regards to references, _gratuitous _amounts of Lord of the Rings banter in the hangar. Everything from the kill count to Smaug is Tolkien; a little excited nod as the second part of the Hobbit came out recently. In the title, 'Bettas' refers specifically to the Siamese fighting fish or _splendens _genus - look 'em up, they're appropriate, hierarchical, pretty bastards.

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, house, and abilities all belong to me.


	7. Feathers and Ferrous

**Author's Note:**

I know, my hiatus was rather long and unwieldy - there's something about the holidays that manage to absorb all of space and time into its winter-y grip. I did manage to pick up a drawing tablet though, so if the stars smile I might be able to publish a few little comics/drawings to accompany the chapters!

A gift for the holidays and for being away for so long: have an extended chapter and an extra scene that speaks of frost. Please enjoy, lovely readers!

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Feathers and Ferrous**

* * *

"The tyrant is a child of Pride  
Who drinks from his sickening cup  
Recklessness and vanity,  
Until from his high crest headlong  
He plummets to the dust of hope."

- Sophocles, _Oedipus Rex_

* * *

"Curse it, brother. Just confess!"

"To what end, pray? That I should dance for the court and tell them that I am sorry?" Loki sneered elegantly and wondered when Thor had become so thick-headed. Or perhaps he had always been that way and he just had not cared to acknowledge it.

Still, he found it rather amusing to watch Thor agitatedly pace around the outside of his cell. He had been doing so for a while and Loki half-expected the floor to suddenly give way under the restless stride. All the while he would remain standing in his protected golden prison and probably tut disdainfully at the mess.

Only a scant few weeks had passed since their return from Midgard, enough time for him to despise the very ground he idled upon, but not enough time for his sentence to pass. He assumed it was the Queen that kept the Allfather from calling the court to session, but he was beginning to tire of Thor's incessant visits.

"So that you may have a chance of recovering and live in our wing once more."

Loki barked a short laugh that made Thor wince. "That wing is for Odin's sons, and I am not."

"Do not be pedantic; you know that is not true." The golden forehead crossed and cleared as he stared beseechingly. "Heimdall's account will only delay your sentence, not absolve you of blame."

It had surprised Loki more than anyone when the gatekeeper had been summoned from his post, but only to state that his eye had not been turned to Midgard and so had seen nothing. The Allfather had not been pleased with that liberating recount, but Loki had been incredulous.

He had always been sceptical of the all-seeing eye, the one under the King's command but existed almost outside of the hierarchy. Loki had spent his childhood committing various treacheries and yet Heimdall had never alerted anyone, despite surely seeing most of them.

He had long since perfected the spell to hide himself from even that long-reaching gaze; yet it would seem that it was not known to anyone besides the two of them.

"Heimdall's words are as obscure to me as they are to you, but do not think that we remained unwatched whilst on Midgard."

"Brother-"

The writhing anger he had been tamping down so well surged at that inane term and he whirled to the glass. "Do not call me thus, neither brother nor prince, for am I beyond that now. There is nothing you can do for me, begone."

Thor's brow softened in the sickening way it always did when he felt hard done by, and he took a step closer to the magically reinforced walls. "Loki, you will always be my brother."

Rolling his eyes and heaving an exasperated sigh did nothing to sway Thor from his pleading stance, so he called upon his constrained powers to blanket the glass in darkness, hiding them from each other's sight.

Persistence, however, was decidedly not a virtue.

"You know where I will be, if you need me." Thor's voice was sad and it only hardened his bitter resolve.

"Yes, in _your wing_."

Loki knew that if he could see past the black he would see a flinching spine, but he was far too busy working on his escape plan to care. When he finally pulled the screen down it was to see only one beady eye focused on him from the far wall.

"Munin, what memories have you?" He strolled to the barely discernable edge to watch the stilled crow. He had not considered his stars lucky at Heimdall's testimony, for Odin's watchers were everywhere; and at least he knew what side the crows stood on, even if it was against him.

He turned his back on the rustling feathers and closed his eyes to concentrate. _Just a little more time…_

* * *

The Avengers traipsed outside and Aerla took her first breath of fresh air in over two weeks, and it was _glorious_. She just barely restrained the urge to skip with joy; the sun was warmth across her skin and Banner gave her one of his tiny smiles.

She wondered whether he felt as absolutely free as she did, but when he held back with a sigh she realised he wasn't joining them below. He took off his glasses and watched her from under his brows as the others walked on, already forgetting him. She needed to soothe his apparent discomfort and bumped him with her hand. "Why?"

"I'm not needed; I'll just make a mess."

He sounded regretful and she knew it wasn't because he did not get to join in, but because they were going into danger and he felt helpless. Aerla opened her mouth to discuss creatures and control but then Clint called her name and she remembered where she was. SHIELD, present day, _things had to be different now_.

Her wolf whined in her chest, not understanding the need for secrets when the man in front of her seemed so remorseful, when she might be able to help him. Banner had no need to be contrite, if he was always on the edge he _was _dangerous, but that didn't necessarily make him a liability.

Aerla warred with herself, utterly at odds after a millennium of single-minded tracking. She was so close to revealing something she knew she shouldn't when a burst of starlight had her breathing deeply and then grimacing at the bitterness that overpowered it. Stilling like a predator on the trail she lifted her nose to follow the scent, only slightly surprised when it came from the quinjet. _A god had sat aboard that plane: Loki._

Clint jerked his head at the strange-looking aircraft and Banner shifted uneasily. "Go on."

She held up a finger in Clint's direction, trying to ignore the lure of magic to focus on the disappointed doctor. Banner turned away so she laid her fingers on his arm, centuries of being in control taking pity on him. He was not fully trusted and she empathised with that, it made her friendlier than perhaps she should be. "Stay in contact, we might need you."

He paused and gave her look filled with a healthy amount of surprise. Trying to curb her almost commanding overtures, she tilted her head and glanced away. Aerla might be planning on literally jumping ship when Thor returned, but she would help out where she could, especially when it came to this quiet man who contained such conflicting energies.

Her magic itched uncomfortably, so she squeezed his arm and waited for him to smile. "Be good." He entreated, startling her into a laugh. That request had been made to her many times in the past, and yet she was always far more concerned about their welfare than her own.

She turned and trotted towards a disgruntled Clint, each step towards him had her half wanting to run in the opposite direction. The alien birds' presence was negligible when compared to the bitter energy practically dripping off of the aircraft; the Tesseract had been here, very recently if the strength of the power was any indication. She lost the faint scent of starlight under its onslaught and smothered the urge to growl.

_Had the Asgardians looked in reluctant awe at this strange metal flying machine as I do now?_ At least she understood technology, even if this thing looked far more complicated than anything she had flown in before. Clint angrily gestured at it. "Are you getting in or not?"

She hovered with her fingers almost brushing peculiar steel, her wolf trembling in distaste. "How does it work?"

"This isn't science time, get the fuck in."

She curled her hesitant hand and punched him in the bicep, grinning when he slowly realised she had knuckled the muscle. He pouted and grumbled, "If I can't shoot, I'm going to end you."

"How, if you can't shoot?" She quipped as she hopped into the jet, pretending that she wasn't almost retching at the overpowering Tesseract energy. She sorely wanted to ask what had happened here but nausea kept her quiet as she chose a seat behind Clint's.

He and Romanov piloted the SHIELD craft whilst Steve strapped himself into the chair next to her. Aerla wanted to explore and run her nose over every inch of the inside, desperate to find more of the starlight and to convince herself that nothing dangerous was on board.

Her world swayed and then she watched the helicarrier withdraw as they took off, Stark appearing in their sights as he zoomed ahead of them. Her ear piece clicked and she noticed Steve fiddle with his, frowning with the confusion of someone who hadn't come to terms with present tech. Aerla leant over and rotated it gently until it fit, smirking when he winced at Stark's sudden voice.

"Daddy brought the kids."

Steve smiled at her gratefully before clicking into the communal line. "Take them down, Stark."

"Where do you want 'em?" He replied and a thought occurred to her.

"Where are we?"

"Above Manhattan." Clint answered as he angled the jet downwards and she saw skyscrapers. _Poor New York, always bearing the brunt of supernatural bullshit._ Still, at least they were used to it by now, knowing SHIELD they probably had evacuation methods in place.

"I've lost some, hurry up." Stark urged and the jet picked up speed.

Flight was an excitement in her feet and she gripped onto the straps that held her safely into place. She leaned forward to watch over Clint's shoulder, listening to his and Romanov's murmured conversation about heights and projectiles.

She watched the radar as they closed in on a SHIELD-white target, her muscles taut with expectation and readiness. They turned the corner too slowly, her eagerness making time crawl by. Red, gold, and arc reactor blue met her eyes, and she saw a multitude of enemies against one Avenger. The big one wasn't there, but the itching let her know it was close by.

She stood and rested her hands on the two pilots' seats, needing to touch the floor and help Stark. Old urges reasserted themselves when she saw mortals against the odds, and these odds were outlandish. It made her feel ever more responsible, because it was magic that had brought them through; alien might that had forced the Avengers together in the first place. "I'm going down."

"Yeah?" Clint murmured as he blasted a few flying entities that took interest in them.

"Another foot on the ground, I'll ping you if I need anything."

"Stay in contact." Steve ordered, eerily echoing her earlier encouragement to Banner. "We'll search for the others."

She nodded and launched out of the opening door before they could land, crouching to absorb the impact from the three metre drop. Something rippled in the air and soared in her veins, a rekindled battle excitement at the thick scents of blood and ash, fantastically different from the bitter quinjet.

Aerla already had her bow ready and an arrow notched and took a second to choose a target. One larger bird advanced on Stark but he was preoccupied with a few smaller ones; she loosed the first arrow with earth finally under her feet and took it down in one. _Oh_, how she had missed this.

"About time, Barton." Stark drawled, turning leisurely and halting when he saw her. In that moment of surprise she shot three more aliens that swooped above his head. In reality it was a paltry fight, creepy birds notwithstanding.

"You're welcome, Glow." She grinned and took a deep breath of the warm air, exulting in tarmac and combat as she skipped towards him. He looked her up and down as if to say 'seriously, how old are you?' But she ignored him and tapped his chest with her bow. "Iron Man suit in action?"

"Welcome to the streets, baby." He said through the gold helmet. Laughter flickered through her as she delighted in the entire situation. Sure, there were a horde of baddies crawling over the buildings, and they could all fly, but she had just made a great few shots and was bantering with a companion.

_Who could ask for anything more?_

* * *

Tony wasn't going to lie and say her humour wasn't childishly infectious, but he managed to restrain it when she pranced – _pranced_ – away from him to delve through the new piles of ash. They littered the floor like some sort of macabre crazy golf course, which it was in a way, they just had arrows and lasers instead of putters.

He should have known the kid was going to come down with them, especially when she had recklessly bared her teeth at Natasha, and then something old had smiled at him from her blue eyes. Aerla evidently had no idea what a dangerous game she was playing, but it was hella funny to watch.

Part of his constantly busy brain was still trying to figure her out, waiting for her to slip up and reveal whatever she was hiding. Because he knew she had _something_; how else did she slide into the helicarrier like a shadow and slip into their 'ranks' as if she belonged there? Ever since Natasha had worked her way into Stark Industries – even under Pepper's critical eye – he had been wary of everyone, especially friendly, mysterious, twenty-somethings.

Steve was an idiot and Fury was paranoid, that was the only answer to her still being here. So maybe she knew how to use that ridiculous weapon – was he the only one firmly in the 21st century? – but she was still an unknown. She flitted past him again, surveying the floor with a critical eye and far more gravitas than suited her sunny disposition. She was normally all light and annoying glimmer, it was strange how serious she was being now.

A small, straggling bird flapped into view so he aimed a repulsor blast at it, smirking when she whirled around and squeaked. He was so used to SHIELDs boring, cool personas that he quite liked her heart-on-the-sleeve reactions.

He nudged a half-combusted corpse with his foot; something about the larger birds differentiated them from the smaller ones, and it wasn't just the punch they packed. There was a bruise growing on his shoulder from a particularly persistent one and he winced at the remembered impact. Aerla looked up immediately and stalked over to him, a frown marring her forehead. "Did one get you?"

Tony pulled a face behind his helmet; _okay_, her reactions were annoying – _leave me alone. _"No, I'm fine."

She raised an eyebrow as if to say that she didn't believe him but then she tapped his arc reactor again. "Good, I have need of you yet, Glow."

The stupid name aside, there was no need to get so up in his grill and invasive of his personal space. She did that a lot, he had seen it, a little nudge here, a scoot there; he knew it was rubbing off and that was why Steve had clapped him on the shoulder – he was still scarred by that.

She was one of those touchy-feely people, oblivious even when he glared at her. If she hadn't looked like a helpless puppy he would have considered batting her away, but then Bruce would be angry and Tony really couldn't deal with any more guilt.

She wandered off before he could come up with something particularly cutting so he let it drop, for now. Instead he asked out loud, "Jarvis, how many escaped?"

"Two dozen small-to-medium sized ones, sir, and the largest."

Aerla appeared by his side again and watched the skies. "Where did they go, Jarvis?"

"They are pursuing the quinjet, ma'am."

Tony glanced at her, why had she heard his AI's response, and just how did she know how to deal with Jarvis as well as he did? No one noticed Jarvis, mostly because he was tech, but also because Tony treated him like he was just an everyday occurrence; Aerla treated him like he was a person – it was weird.

She sparkled at him, looking about eighteen, and he became uncomfortably aware of how similar in height they were, and he had at least two inches of metal under his feet.

"Come on, Sparky, we've got places to be."

"Leave the nicknames to me, kid." He said, and she jerked back, almost making him laugh, safely concealed by the Iron Man suit as he was. She planted her feet and managed to look even younger, like an angry teenager who was just told she couldn't go to prom.

The quinjet came soaring around the corner so he blasted off before she could pout, his lips twisting upwards when she muttered curses over the comms. He purposefully flew straight towards Barton, only just hurtling over when he saw the man flinch and Natasha roll her eyes.

A smattering of aliens was on their tail so he blasted them, weaving through the bodies to attract their attention. "Where's the big one?"

He was surprised to hear Bruce reply, the doc tended to stay out of the chatter when he wasn't directly involved – and when he was it wasn't like the Hulk wore an earpiece. Tony didn't blame him for his down-time; he just wished he could have the same.

"I'm tracking it on CCTV." Bruce started, and Tony wanted to kudos Jarvis for not only keeping Bruce in the loop, but according to his HUD his AI had turned Steve and the SHIELD agents off for that little titbit. "It veered off, but I think it's heading for you, Aerla."

His brakes applied so screechingly quickly that he almost thought they had activated before he had jerked them on. Jarvis had kept Aerla on the comms, smart considering she was being hunted, not smart considering she was freakishly perceptive.

He activated a short-ranged pulse of energy that obliterated the closest aliens and injured the others. Deciding to leave the stunned things behind in case Bruce tugged him on leaving the kid alone, he jetted back to where he had left her. If she got herself killed he would never hear the end of it.

Zooming around the final corner he very nearly laughed at the scene that met his eyes. The quinjet hovered in the air and above it, precariously balanced and letting off arrows left and right, stood the kid.

For once it wasn't him that Steve reprimanded. "Aerla, get down from there."

Jarvis rattled off perilous distances and calculations in his ear but her laugh was carefree. "They're easier to reach now." She said and then shrieked, "Clint, stop that."

Barton's response was sly – he should have expected that those two would get on. "Stop what?"

The jet shifted at least a foot to the left and Tony saw Aerla stamp on the metal hull, sending a clang through the comms. "That, stop that, you bastard!" She shouted, still shooting as she twisted about despite the movement.

"Sir-"

Jarvis didn't get to voice the warning that pinged on his HUD before Aerla turned and stared straight at him, releasing an arrow that whistled way too close to his helmet. He spun and ashes flew into his visor. "Jarvis?"

"There was no time, sir."

"Yeah, I noticed that, the death dust kinda gave it away." He grit through his teeth and wondered how close he had come to something fatal, again. Forget the kid nearly dying; Pepper was never going to forgive him if he got himself banged up because his tech was slow. He needed to tune up his suit, too many hits and not enough maintenance was beginning to take its toll. Enough was enough, he'd get Pepper to come up with one of her brilliant excuses and he could spend some blissfully quiet hours in his lab.

"You're welcome, Glow." Aerla said smugly in his ear, and Jarvis brought up the still potentially deadly information again. She was balancing on the nose end of the ship like some sort of death-defying circus performer, and then Barton brought the jet up higher, the two of them chuckling and swearing at each other. Steve was yelling, as always, and it sounded like Natasha was berating Barton.

Tony had the odd feeling of not being the centre of attention for once. It wouldn't have been so bad if Aerla wasn't doing the sort of shit that he normally did, amazingly stupid things were his prerogative. He closed in on the wavering plane and deliberately landed super heavy on one wing to send it tilting.

"Stark." Cap said sternly, but Aerla didn't even wobble, just stuck her tongue out at him because his trick hadn't worked. He flipped his helmet up to mock her but then she mouthed 'I dare you'.

His lip twitched, _what the Hell,_ he could do with some fun. He used his suit to pulse-jump into the air before crash landing on the tail end of the jet. Aerla laughed, completely unaffected by the renewed shouting from below and the slanted angle he had caused – he decided that she must be some sort of gazelle.

As he prepared for another jump, she leaped towards him and pushed her fingers against the exact same spot as before on his chest, but a lot harder. For a split second he thought he was actually going to overbalance, but then she grabbed one of his flailing hands, in such a way that she seemed worried the fall would hurt him.

Somehow, her slight form managed to pull him up straight again and then she hopped away, casually shooting a bird that fluttered around the jet's front window. As if she could somehow tell that he was impressed, she threw him a grin over one shoulder.

_She wanted to play?_ Tony _created _risky games, and this kid wouldn't get the better of him. Steve and Natasha were still bitching, and even Bruce joined in, which meant he must be watching from the helicarrier. Jarvis told him they were a good twenty feet off the ground, almost enough distance that he could catch her when she fell, because she couldn't fly.

"Aerla, get back inside, we need to find the rest." Steve nagged.

"The big one escaped me; I couldn't switch the cameras fast enough." Bruce apologised.

Tony knew that if he wanted to, _he _could find it in an instant, but this was proving a little too entertaining. Besides, rules were made to be broken and he had been so bored lately. He overtook the quinjet's controls and raised them higher, ignoring Natasha's curses and Barton's suddenly angry threats. Aerla crouched on her hands and feet, beaming at him as he took them further upwards.

"Sir, is this a good idea?"

"I'm full of good ideas, Jarvis."

She laughed and added, "Don't be a stick-in-the-mud, Jarvis."

Again she toyed with his AI and he suddenly remembered all of the ways she had taunted him over the last few days. _Ear piece, mug, that video she should never have been able to access_. Okay, now the game was about retribution, she _would _fall. He must have frowned because she stood and placed her palm upwards. _Was she-?_ She crooked her fingers at him.

He cut the jet's engines and it dropped a few feet before they started up again. Her scream was delighted rather than scared. "Again!"

Tony turned their ear pieces off because he was tired of being yelled at, and then he stopped the rotary blades again. Aerla rose up on her tiptoes before landing in a giggling mess, flipping her hair out of the way to giddily goad him once more.

He took them up even higher, struggling vainly not to share in her amusement - he hadn't played about like this since Loki was in town. They went above the skyscrapers and she twittered excitedly, readying herself for another drop, and he would get her this time. She looked up from her feet and fear slashed across her face; _at last_.

"Stark, wait!"

Tony hated waiting. With another flick he overrode Jarvis's depleting power warnings and turned off the engines, frowning when Aerla scrabbled for her bow. _That was cheat-_

His breath exploded out of his lungs and the quinjet disappeared from under his feet.

* * *

Aerla had only one inhaled breath to wield her bow, notch an arrow, aim, and shoot, at a moving target that hid behind an ally, whilst her toes felt air.

Stark was flung towards her but she had already fallen, and she watched with sickening slowness as the quinjet fell faster than she did.

"Jarvis!" She screamed, the sound torn from her lips as wind cut at her eyes. She faintly heard the clicked whirring of a motor and then she crashed painfully against the hull as she caught up with it in mid-flight.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" Jarvis's soothing tone vibrated in her ear and she grit her thanks, patting the metal without thinking. She thought she heard a sense of urgency in his voice but she tried to focus on each area of discomfort on her body.

Her left wrist was a beacon of pain around her bow and she groaned out loud, _fucking dislocated it_. Pushing herself up on one uninjured arm, she blinked against dizzying sparkles and set about clicking the bone back into place.

Aerla gasped at the burn but she had done it a hundred times before. At least she hadn't broken anything, she would have had to wait at least a few days for it to heal if she had, _intolerable._

The sound of glass moving met her ears and then Steve's panicked and angry voice came from below. "Are you okay? Where's Stark?"

_Stark?_ He was fighting the largest alien the last she had seen him; she presumed he was beating it into a pulp. Aerla could vaguely hear Clint and Romanov talking and remembered that Stark had turned all of the comms off. "Jarvis, switch us back on, please."

She winced when four angry voices cascaded into her ear but she heard Banner over them all. "Aerla, are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, just a little bruised. Stark?"

"Mr Stark has lost communications, ma'am." Jarvis replied instead. _Shit._ That was why Steve had asked her about him. She ignored her sore arm and scrambled upright, frantically looking for the ridiculously attention-grabbing suit.

"Can you track him, Jarvis?"

"Unfortunately no, but I know where he last made contact, ma'am."

She threaded her bow back into her quiver and paced on top of the jet like a mad pigeon. "Bruce? Can you look at Jarvis's information and pinpoint a location?"

"How can I- Oh, thanks." He replied haltingly, making Aerla realise that even he didn't know how Stark's AI worked. She was once again amazed by how autonomous Jarvis seemed to be, but cursed away the wonder. There had been genuine humour on Stark's face and now he had vanished.

She swore under her breath; Steve had been right, they shouldn't have clowned around. If she hadn't been provoking Stark she could have paid attention to her wolf's growing discomfort, and if Stark hadn't turned off the comms they might have known the damn thing was coming. _No, this was my fault._

Just because she healed faster and had danced with death many times before did not mean that she could forget that she played with mortals. She would never forgive herself if something happened to Stark, _damn him._

"He was near the Hudson, head there." Bruce said in her ear, and she could hear his fingers tapping away.

"I have no idea where that is." She mumbled; it was not as if the Knowledge test covered New York. The itch called her in one direction but it was still an abnormal sensation and she wanted to be sure. "Clint, you on it?"

Jarvis replied instead again. "I thought it prudent to keep my participation quiet, ma'am."

"Oh, right, of course, good call." Aerla nodded distractedly, SHIELD couldn't know how clever Jarvis was, _I have to keep Stark's secret too, now_. She stamped on the hull and shouted. "Cupcake, take us down, head towards the river."

A click in her ear and then he grumbled, "No need to shout. You coming in?"

She was already vaulting to the tail to swing through the open door, and came face-to-face with a very stern looking Steve. "Er, hey Cap?"

"What were you doing up there?" He demanded as Clint threw a mocking glance over his shoulder, _bastard._

The jet began to move so she strapped herself in and tried to remain calm. "I _was _taking down aliens, and then there were... some technical issues."

Clint snorted so she kicked his chair, but her smile fell when Steve shook his head. "This isn't a game, Aerla; you could have been seriously hurt."

She appreciated the gesture, she really did, but what was the worst that could have happened? If, by some quirk of fate, she had lost her footing, Aerla had faith that Stark would catch her. "It was just some fun," she sighed at his clenched jaw, "He's going to be fine."

"Hudson coming up." Romanov said and the jet tilted downwards. Steve's face said that they weren't done with this discussion, but Aerla chose to ignore him and scanned the skies. Just because they had been caught unawares did not mean that all entertainment should be outlawed, dire times needed fun. Stark _would_ be fine, she would see to that.

"Where do you think he'll be?" Clint asked as he flicked through radar screens that revealed nothing. She wanted to ask Jarvis's opinion but wasn't sure whether Stark would appreciate it if she did it in front of everyone.

"Look north, ma'am." Jarvis murmured almost inaudibly. _Amazing AI._

Aerla leaned forward to crane her neck around the window, inhaling sharply when she saw a familiar red glint. It was bulkier than usual and she realised that Stark and the alien were literally at each other's throats.

Concern made her chest tight and she frantically pawed at her seatbelt, needing to get outside to help him. Steve blocked her path to the door. "Not the time, Cap, let me go."

"What exactly are you planning on doing?"

She snarled, her wolf rousing in protective fire and staring him down. "Helping him, now get out of my way."

"We can help from he-" He started, but flinched when she snapped her teeth at him. _Skittish, Steve. _Taking advantage of his shock she pushed past him and dove out of the door. Steve might want to take things carefully, but she wouldn't risk Stark's neck by waiting, not when she could deal with anything that damned alien could throw at her.

Steve called after her but she could deal with his shit later. "How are we doing, Jarvis?"

"I have locked onto his position but communications are not reinstated, ma'am."

"As long as we have eyes on him." She followed Stark's jerky flight path and started to run forwards, aiming just slightly ahead to cut them off.

"Mr Rogers is trying to contact you, ma'am."

"Don't pick up." She scowled when the quinjet practically revved down her neck. Aerla flicked Clint the bird and then sighed. "Fine, patch him through… Steve, hush for a moment, can you try and distract the rest of the pack?"

There weren't many of the birds left, and luckily they were tiny, but they seemed to be enough to confuse Stark and his assailant. Steve sighed. "Okay, be careful."

"Over and out, Cap."

They sped over her head and Stark veered away from them, leaving the smaller aliens behind. The quinjet swung away and she spotted Clint's bow in the open door; _huzzah, action time._

Bruce's sceptical voice surprised her; Jarvis must have kept him on the comms. "You okay?"

"Yeah, of course, why?" Aerla murmured as she watched Stark and the alien zig-zag through the clouds, small bursts of blue surrounding them. _He was trying to fight back, at least._

"You fell earlier."

Her wrist burned in reminder, but it was easily relegated to an ignored part of her mind. Pain was a familiar companion that she had long become used to. "Oh, that, it was nothing, thanks though."

"You're welcome." He chuckled softly for some reason, but she was too focused on Stark as he finally flew close enough for her to make a worthy shot.

She pulled her bow and sprung onto the river's edge, the water churning endlessly below. Her world focused on the jumble of limbs and wings, red interspersed with grey, metal with feathers. Taking a deep breath, she counted wing beats and picked her moment.

_One, two, three…_

The shot felt right, hummed with perfection and clarity. A once-in-a-lifetime kind of shot, but for someone who had lived for so many human lifetimes, they were considerably common. It disappeared into the screeching mass and she lowered her bow with a smile, the itch finally lessening.

"What did you do?" Bruce roared in her ear and her heart skipped a beat. The two bodies dropped a few metres and she stiffened, aghast. Had she missed? Aerla never missed, not shots like that, not when a life was on the line.

Stark's body jerked upward for a second, hope and arc-reactor blue flaring, but then it sputtered out and they tumbled downwards.

"Shit." She whispered, fear freezing her to the floor. "Shit." She shouted, useless adrenaline bursting through her veins as she watched them plunge into the river below. The water spat and rippled as they disappeared below the surface and she could only watch with sickened shock. Even if she could reach them, Stark was in a damned metal suit.

She had failed him.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I giveth and I taketh away.

Fret not, only a couple of days and the next will be up. I hope you enjoyed it. Keep an eye out on my Tumblr (WizzKizWonders) for updates, and please review and favourite or ask me questions if you wish!

All characters belong to Marvel, except for Aerla; she, her weapons, abilities, and desperate wistfulness all belong to me.


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